


Belmont’s Curse

by firewolfsg



Series: The Last Belmont [2]
Category: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Genre: Angst, Castration, Consent, Divorce, Dubious Consent, Gangbang, Humiliation, M/M, Non Consensual, Power Play, Rape Recovery, Tattoos, Threesome - F/M/M, Violence, Watersports
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-04-18
Updated: 2010-05-06
Packaged: 2017-10-09 00:30:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/81073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firewolfsg/pseuds/firewolfsg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even with the Count vanquished, Richter is still heavily tormented and this brings Alucard to investigate why he's unable to return to slumber till his father's next return.</p><p>Written for the <a href="http://kink-bingo.dreamwidth.org/"><b>Kink!Bingo</b> community on DW</a> Prompt: Tattoos / tattooing</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Richter had known that it was only a matter of time before the dark priest realized he was helping Alucard. The hunter was also well aware that Shaft wanted him to confront and fight the Dhampir. However, it appeared he wasn't going to take a chance in leaving Richter to act on his orders. _

Before the hunter realized he was in danger, Shaft had stunned him from behind and he awoke blindfolded, nude and on his knees upon an altar in the grand hall; a spreader bar strapped between his knees; his wrists manacled to his ankles by short chain lengths; his head held by clawed hands as a cock thrust deep down his aching throat; his come flooded arse humiliatingly presented as the highest point of his body, and his bruised hips held firmly while a second monster slapped and slammed hard hips against his buttocks. It was like those many nights of gang rape all over again with Shaft chanting and drawing symbols on his back and shoulders while the gathered monsters mercilessly ravaged him upon the altar in their attempts to weaken his spirit and physical body with their relentless assault so that Shaft's spell work could take root and inescapably enslave him to the dark priest. However, as frequently and as many times as he had been gang raped over that last year, Richter could not say he was accustomed and therefore indifferent to what was done to him.

For Alucard's sake, Richter had tried to hold out and resist Shaft's spells. However, in the scant months that Shard had allowed Richter some rank in the castle, the hunter had steadfastly guarded and defended his person from assault apart from the select few; now freely provided with his helpless body for them to use and abuse the monsters had gleefully made up for lost time. And it seemed to the hunter that this was the most brutal they had ever abused him to date.

The monsters barely allowed Richter to take a breath between a limp and satisfied cock leaving his lips and a new stiff length plunging into his cock deprived mouth; there was even little 'consideration' given to the monsters fucking him as their companions wouldn't wait to let them empty their release into him but would forcefully drag them out almost as soon as they'd start to come, ensuring great gouts of steaming fluids would be splattered and spurted over Richter's groin, thighs and back before he'd be impaled upon a new rock hard cock. Richter had honestly thought they meant to drown him in come and bury him in cock meat. And in the end his spirit and body was overwhelmed by the devastating assault, and the hunter's mind cracked enough for Shaft to successfully seize control of Richter's mind.

In those agonizing hours of complete enthrallment, Richter had found himself alone in a vast and empty space devoid of light, still nude and with wrists and ankles chained to a solid wall that stood behind him. Shaft had appeared to him at the beginning and tauntingly provided him with a little window back to the real world where he witnessed his body being released from its bounds and eagerly taking the cocks of the surrounding monsters in hand to entertain and lavish attention upon. Shaft had even 'thoughtfully' duplicated the experience for Richter in this cold lonely prison, creating disembodied cocks which would fuck him and take his mouth just as energetically as his real body was being assaulted. And there were many cocks to entertain since his body had become as wanton and lustful as a succubus in its service of the monsters, making Richter burn in shame and humiliation. A shame and devastation Richter still carried with him though he was now over a month removed from the year long captivity in Castlevania.

The hunter cried into his pillow as he tried to banish the dream memory from conscious thought. He was glad Annette agreed to leave him to nurse his shame alone. It was for the best considering the curse Shaft left upon him still burned strong despite his death. One day, Richter knew that his guard would eventually falter and he would be returned to the role of a monsters' whore by the many who currently hung hopeful on the fringes of the Belmont estates.

@};~'~ 

Alucard huffed in annoyance as he calmly strode into the village of Warakiya slightly over a month after he had fought and sent his father to rest at Castlevania. Awakened then when the Belmont of that time had apparently been seduced to the side of evil, he had thought that the natural order was restored with the man rescued and the dark lord vanquished.

Admittedly, there was a hairy period when he had fallen and the man he sought to rescue sacrificed his freedom to save him, but Alucard had returned to finish the job. He had been certain that he could have guiltlessly returned to his long rest until he was needed again to control his father should the trusted line of Belmonts falter in their duties. Yet sleep was frustratingly denied of him.

"There is only so long that you can spend lying awake in your coffin counting sheep before you get hungry for mutton." He muttered grumpily to himself as he wandered towards the market place where the smells of freshly baked bread and roasted hams enticed his senses. Meal cards were great conveniences on the road but Alucard did long for the better fare of the towns and villages.

While he was sure that Maria and Richter would welcome him warmly with a good meal, Alucard was not particularly keen on forcing upon their home an experience of his voracious appetite. He was embarrassingly aware that it was caused by his reluctance to take blood as sustenance. Indeed he recalled the amusement he had caused Richter's forefather, Trevor, during the celebratory dinner that the Belmont had held with friends for the victory over his father then.

His companions hadn't quite understood why he had insisted on procuring food enough to feed, in their opinion, an army. Alucard hid a small smile as he recalled his words to the wide-eyed pirate, Grant DaNasty as they watched him devour the meal that remained after they had long had their fill. 'When you spend centuries asleep between meals, then we can compare appetites.'

Alucard mused over his melancholy mood as he called and paid the cheerful server for his fifth leg of roast ham. The man may have been initially jittery to have this pale aristocratic customer take a seat at his humble market stall, but the gold he paid for his meals were of good coinage and the volume of his consumption while astounding was good business for him.

It didn't take long for word to spread of this unique visitor and for one of the two people Alucard had hoped to meet, to come hurrying to the stall to find him. Even over the thick smells of food and produce in the market place, he scented her before he saw her approach.

"Alucard? Please, is that really you?"

"Maria?" He rose to his feet and gifted her with a smile, glad to see this familiar face. But the sight of the young women gave him concern. Her entire countenance was strained and haggard with worry and pain.

To his astonishment, she had thrown herself into his arms and hugged him as she sobbed into his chest. "Thank you, Lord. I'm so glad you came back. Thank you."

Alucard was plainly bewildered as the server placed a tea service at his table and the rest of the townspeople around them drew away respectfully while Maria continued to cry in his arms. "Maria?" The Dhampir reached over to lift her delicate chin gently. "This is most unlike you. What has happened? What has befallen to drive you who have faced my—faced Dracula into such despair?"

"Alucard—" Maria quickly wiped away her tears and composed herself with a sip of tea before she spoke again. "It's—it's Richter. He's—" She sucked in a deep breath and let it out again as Alucard waited patiently. "No one has seen him or has been able to approach the Belmont manor since he retreated there a month ago. Annette, his wife—he left her and their daughters with our father—said that he—he was no longer worthy of her—"

"What?!" Alucard stared at her in astonishment, wondering what the world had come to.

In his brief acquaintance with Richter Belmont, Alucard had been of the opinion that he would be hard pressed to meet a better man. In the back of his mind, Alucard had even thought that his friend Trevor would have been proud to learn how strong the Belmonts had grown. Certainly Richter had trained and honed his skills to their fullest extent and had developed powers that his ancestors would have been envious to have in their battle against Dracula. Alucard inwardly shuddered to remember the barrage of spiritual crosses and boomerangs that Richter could call forth in battles.

"There—has been a lot of supernatural activity around the Belmont manor." Maria told Alucard worriedly, bringing his attention back to her. "I—I've tried to visit him to perhaps talk—but—" At this point Maria shuddered. "The forest is thick with demons and werewolves far more numerous than we've ever seen before.

"Previously—the village appeared to be under siege and Richter was there to drive the demons away. But—it appears he cast—something to draw them to him. So now that he's returned to the manor, the village hasn't been troubled… Oh Alucard, we all worry about him staying on his own."

"It has been over a month since anyone has seen him?" The Dhampir looked at her in bewilderment. He had considered that something could have happened with the Belmonts that prevented him from putting himself back to rest. But to learn of this—He couldn't begin to puzzle out what might have happened to Richter. "Has he enough supplies with him?"

"Annette—she said she thinks he has not. She cannot remember." Maria looked down in sadness. "When—Richter first disappeared over a year ago, she moved back to our father's manor.

"She—hadn't been back to their home since. Richter must have found it in such a state… And—" Maria looked up at Alucard sorrowfully. "She's gone to France, Alucard. Their daughters are now staying with father and I, but Annette has given up on Richter…"

Alucard's hand tightened around hers in understanding of her troubled pain. He saw his course clearly now as he looked upon Maria Renard. This time though, he had the assurance that his father was not the cause of Richter Belmont's disquieting disappearance. Or so he hoped.

@};~'~ 

Through fevered dreams, Richter found himself lost again in the memory of his captivity in the accursed Castlevania; the period following the kidnapping by Shaft on a night over a year earlier and his most recent imprisonment when the Count had briefly returned. He was not sorry that he had not died those months so long ago, when Shaft had allowed the castle's minions to freely play with the imprisoned Belmont.

No, despite his brief thoughts to entertain death, as long as he had breath in his body Richter would never have allowed them the satisfaction of conquering him completely. As it stood, it was only with his intervention that Alucard had been dearly bought the necessary time he needed to regroup before his final assault on the castle and the awakened Count.

Richter sobbed softly into his pillow as he was dragged back into the memory of his stay with the Count following his defiance and rescue of the Dhampir. How ever much he had been hurt over the year by Shaft and his minions, Richter was of the opinion that it was the brief stay with the Count that damaged him the most and prompted him to forever part with his wife.

_He had difficulty drawing breath into his body. The great weight that pressed him into the pillows and bed sheets was suffocating. For a moment, Richter wondered whether this was to be his final fate. To be found smothered in the bedclothes upon which he had clearly been repeatedly raped. _

The shame of the situation could not drag anymore tears from him. After his experience over the last year, there was no more pride left in him. If he was to die now Richter decided his only regret would be that he hadn't been allowed more opportunities to assist Alucard in vanquishing the Count upon his return.

Until now, his one comfort through the dark days of the Count's reign was that the Dhampir was creating quite a bit of trouble for the Count and his minions. Richter could quite easily guess how frustrated the Count was with his son just by gauging how abusive the vampire was with him.

"Well, this time Adrian Farenheights Tepes, it appears you've created enough chaos to have him do me in as well." He had thought silently as blackness edged over his senses and his struggles to breathe grew weaker.

However, just before he slipped into unconsciousness, the weight upon his chest eased and Richter felt himself dragged over to rest upon the Count's chest. He barely managed to stop himself from snuggling against the warm, strangely comforting presence.

"It appears that Shaft's spell is rather more insidious than I expected." Richter chuckled darkly against the smooth chest to hear the exasperation in the Count's tone. A hand stroked his hair comfortingly, and he could feel the tingle of healing energies flowing through his battered body ensuring that he lived another day. Then, he suddenly felt himself engulfed in a flashback.

Richter was barely aware of the arms around him or the murmured words of comfort that were whispered in his ear. He was lost in the memory of his early days of captivity in the Castle, when Shaft was still trying to enslave him.

Kept alive by healing and strength elixirs forced down his throat at regular intervals, Richter had long lost track of time under the unrelenting abuse. He had been aware that his body had gone into shock ages ago, numbing all pain inflicted upon him. It was a relief he dared not question as he lay unmoving and unresponsive beneath yet another of Shaft's minions as it pounded its cock in and out of him. Richter supposed it was merciful that while he felt the movement within him, the sensation was no longer accompanied by pain.

Beyond revenge, Richter could not determine why Shaft kept him alive. When he first awoke on the altar with Shaft chanting while the monsters swarmed over him, Richter had been sure that the Count's loyal minion meant to have him fucked to death by the same monsters that he had defeated four years earlier. It was upon the altar that Shaft also cut off his manhood. And Richter had expected for Shaft to then flaunt his humiliatingly violated and mutilated body before the townships to terrorize them into submission. However, Shaft had instead kept him alive and chained to the floor of the dungeons while allowing his minions to freely access Richter's cell and use his helpless body for their entertainment. In those months, it would have been easier to count the hours where he was not entertaining the castle's denizens be it singlely or in groups. It was Richter's bitter thought that the line up into his cell had probably snaked around the castle several times over.

At first Richter could not say what the purpose of his continued life was to the demented magician. However, the hunter was soon to discern that he was regularly brought out for a session of especially brutal gang rape upon an altar because Shaft was trying to cast spells of control and enslavement upon him; spells that Richter had repeatedly shrugged off. Shaft marked him for each of these times of defiance, and it therefore gave Richter mixed feelings for the roses that he bore on his back as Shaft's punishment.

Richter eventually capitulated, if only to save what was left of his sanity after months of sexual torture and abuse. But he also carefully kept his own secrets even as he embraced his new rank as master of the castle under Shaft's command. Richter had endured as well as he could. However, he was not to know that the worst was yet to come after the Count was resurrected and the vampire claimed him for his own.

Backed by the pleasure that the Count was incomprehensively pulling from his body, Richter's confused mind started to viciously colour his nightmares and flashbacks of his earlier captivity. The few short weeks he had spent in the vampire's bed had truly undone him and all the resolve Richter had fought so hard to hold.

Even through his yearlong captivity at the castle, Richter had thought he managed to keep an important part of himself sacrosanct. Even when he had lain on the semen and blood soaked altar after being raped for hours by Shaft's minions, in his mind Richter had stayed faithful to Annette. What the monsters were doing to him was not in his control and thus he knew he could not be blamed for infidelity. However, the Count changed everything when he took Richter to his bed.

He had orgasmed. Despite being relieved of his manhood, the Count had made him orgasm again and again and had his body quaking in lust every time he was taken. That was unforgivable.

These few weeks coloured all his dreams now; where he used to have nightmares of the past gang rapes, now they were worse because he saw himself craving the feel of cock within him. He saw himself invitingly spread his legs and eagerly lifting his arse for Shaft's minions to plunder when they visited him in the dungeons. Nothing could have been further from the truth. But the nightmares that plagued him now plunged Richter into a reality where he had been thus voluntarily unfaithful to Annette for all the days of his captivity.

As quickly as it had come, the flashback was gone and Richter found himself back in the 'now' with the Count still cradling him against his chest. "As long as you continue to please me, Richter, none other shall touch you."

He could read between the lines. Sliding his hand down the Count's marble cool body, Richter wrapped his hand around the vampire's cock and started to stroke it back to life. It did not take long before the Count flipped their positions and gathered Richter's legs to rest them over his shoulders. He let himself moan and writhe uninhibitedly, knowing the Count liked to see him lose control. His limp cock, however, gave lie to his act.

"You will want me, hunter." Richter shivered to hear the snarled words in his ear as the Count pounded into him almost viciously. Already numbed from the numerous couplings earlier that day, he was barely aware of the further tearing that the vampire inflicted.

"I will have more than your obedience, Richter. You will desire this!"

Not half likely. Richter kept sense enough not to voice those words. He gritted his teeth as the vampire changed the angle of his assault and started pounding against an unaccountably special spot within him that sent bolts of arousal through his body. He felt himself grow hard despite his desperate want not to.

Pathetically, Richter felt himself long for the simpler days of his earlier captivity with his werewolf and minotaur aides. At the least their needs were easier to fulfil. They only wanted the privilege of using his body, his positive response was never required. He had long ago given up any modesty or claim to his body when he let the two slack their lusts upon him in exchange for their protection against their own kind. His soul was not so easily surrendered. The Count was demanding his soul and however much he managed to make Richter's own body betray him, the hunter was damned if he'd give it up.

Richter sobbed into his pillow, quite desperate to escape the fevered dream and his memories. But as it was that night so long ago, he was powerless to anything else but to endure it.

~tbc~


	2. Chapter 2

Alucard strode easily through the forest down the path Maria told him would bring him to the Belmont Manor. From the way she described it, Richter and Annette had built this home not long after Richter had rescued the villagers and vanquished Dracula during their first meeting.

Far from the simple worker he had been when he first arrived at Warakiya, Richter Belmont had become inundated with wealth from generous patrons who sent him gifts and money for his success in defeating the dreaded count. However, Maria softly confided in Alucard that she believed it was Richter's newfound riches more than love that prompted Annette to accept his proposal.

It made sense, in a way, Alucard mused as he shifted the sack of supplies that he carried over his shoulder. From speaking with Maria's father, Alucard could tell that the man appeared genuinely embarrassed that his elder daughter did not love her husband enough to stand by him. If the truth was to be told, the more he listened to the Renard family talk about Richter's place in their hearts, the more Alucard wondered why the man married Annette and not Maria.

At the thought of this, Alucard noted and acknowledged the subtle shift in the surroundings which alerted him to his approach of what the townspeople now called the 'forbidden area.' As a precaution, he summoned his Ghost familiar to stay close and watch his back.

The air was indeed thick with the smells and aura of dark creatures. With his senses on high alert, Alucard tried to identify the various demons and spirits that lived in this part of the forest. He thought he scented a Minotaur and perhaps a few lesser demons, but by and large, as Maria had warned him, it was a pack of werewolves that dominated the region. A fairly large pack, he thought, to have kept even Maria from braving the track and to have driven much of the game and forest denizens from the area. They, however, wisely chose to leave the Dhampir unmolested.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before Alucard came within sight of the manor. It was to some astonishment, however, considering Maria's fussing over the neglect of the place, that the Dhampir found the path leading to the gates well taken care of and—cheerful. Quite unlike the forbidding forests that surrounded the property.

Alucard came upon a further surprise as he stepped up to the porch and found the ground almost littered with fresh flowers, fruit, cured skins and—a roast? "What in the world—?" He turned immediately, sensing the fall of many eyes upon his back. The forest seemed almost alive with gleaming red eyes.

With the Ghost familiar hovering protectively at his back, Alucard quickly turned his attention towards the gate. He held back a grin to note that Richter had magically sealed it to prevent unwelcome visitors. However, the man had apparently used blue magic, which could be unsealed with a Jewel of Open, one of which he had given to Maria and which the Dhampir owned as well.

Taking a deep breath, Alucard entered the courtyard and quickly closed the gate after him before he deactivated his Ghost familiar. The magical protection that Maria warned him of made itself felt almost immediately.

The Dhampir was almost driven to his knees by the enchantment's attack on the vampire half of his heritage. As he struggled to regain his feet, Alucard gave thought to his understanding now on why the werewolves had not tried to breach the walls. He felt as if the wind had been taken out of his sails, but the enchantment would surely have killed the weaker werewolves.

Alucard looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching which herald the expected arrival of the caster of the enchantment, whom no doubt was warned of the intruder. His first sight of the man took the Dhampir aback.

Wrapped in a tattered robe, which looked moth eaten and soiled from disuse, Richter Belmont looked nothing like the strong strapping young man Alucard had encountered and fought in Castlevania. He looked thin, pale and haggard; as if he had been ill for many weeks.

The hand holding the Vampire Killer whip was trembling though obviously prepared to send the wicked length lashing out against enemies. Richter's scent told the keen nosed Dhampir the most. The man was sick, not only from despair but also from an infection that was running rampant through his body.

"Alucard?" If not for his acute hearing, Alucard would have missed Richter's rasped words.

"Richter? You're ill!" Alucard tried to take another step, but the enchantment still weighed heavily on him.

"Alucard, how—? Oh, sorry about that." Richter leaned against the door to the house and called out clearly in ritual greeting. "Adrian Farenheights Tepes, you are welcome to my home and manor and free to walk upon these grounds without impairment. The Belmonts thus extend our protection to you and your familiars within these walls."

If Alucard was surprised to hear his real name spoken out loud, he did not show it. There were more pressing matters at hand. The lifting of the enchantment was felt immediately and none too soon as Alucard dashed across the courtyard to catch the pale man before he slid down the wall.

"Richter! How—when did you fall ill?"

Fever bright eyes tried to focus on Alucard as the Dhampir slid an arm under the hunter's legs and carried him into the house. "T—two weeks? A month? Can't—remember anymore."

Alucard wrinkled his nose as he entered the dusty abode, which looked as if it hadn't been lived in, much less cleaned in the year or so that it had been unoccupied. If Richter had indeed been ill since his arrival, it must certainly have been hell for him to stay alone.

The trail of footprints through the dust on the floor led the Dhampir to the bedrooms where Richter had stayed. Though the room and the bedspread did look a great deal cleaner than the rest of the house, it wasn't by much. As he laid the barely conscious man on the bed, Alucard had to wonder how the man managed to survive his illness for so long on his own.

The few cards he found on the bedside table and the various empty plates and bowls on the floor gave Alucard the assurance that Richter had had ready food available. Though from the number of plates on the floor, Richter had apparently used them sparingly.

It made Alucard frown to remember the roast and fruits he saw on the porch. If Richter was aware of them, he had apparently not bothered to take the offerings.

Turning his attention back to the man on the bed, Alucard tried to remove the robe to check where Richter's injuries were. Firm hands prevented him from moving aside the robe. "No, Alucard. Please don't."

"Richter, you're fevered and flushed from an infection. Let me check—"

"No!"

The pale Dhampir was taken aback by the scent of panic coming off the man. "Richter…"

"No. Please, Alucard. I'll be okay."

Alucard seriously doubted this. While he knew that his normal body temperature was low causing any human to feel warm to the touch, Richter's skin felt frighteningly hot. The man was clearly burning with a fever. But with Richter's crystal blue eyes looking so pleadingly into his, Alucard could not find it in him to force the issue.

Momentarily at loss with how to help the sick man, Alucard suddenly remembered his precious last bottle of elixir. Richter almost managed to push it away when the Dhampir drew it from his cloak to offer it to him.

"No, Alucard, it would be a waste,"

"Richter, you could very well die if we don't do anything about the infection that's coursing through your body." Alucard held the bottle to his lips firmly. "I will not have you making me return to Maria with news of your death. Drink."

Richter frowned at him, but reluctantly accepted the draught. The effects of the magic potion were almost immediate. The fever broke and the man started to breathe easier, relaxing in the bed now that the pain was relieved. "Thank you…"

Alucard brushed his friend's hair gently as he blinked sleepily up at him. "Rest for now, Richter. Let us talk later."

As soon as the man had fallen asleep, Alucard turned to take a good look around. "Maria would be horrified." He muttered unhappily to see the sorely neglected state of the room.

As he gazed back at the sleeping brunette, Alucard had to wonder how Richter could have suffered to stay in such a musty room. While he did not remember Trevor to be a neat freak, he did recall that the man was rather fastidious about his personal hygiene when he had the luxury to indulge in it. The man had called for a bath at the first inn they stayed at, much to the amusement of his love Sypha.

Before he realized what he was doing, Alucard reached over to comb his fingers through Richter's long chestnut coloured locks. He was only mildly surprised to find that Richter's hair wasn't greasy. It seemed that though he didn't do much to care about his stomach or his rooms, Trevor's descendant was just as demanding as he was with his personal hygiene.

With a little bit of exploration, Alucard found his suspicions confirmed when he came upon the opulent baths in the basement of the house. It made him chuckle to note the enchantments that were cast to maintain the cleanliness and warmth of the facilities and water in the bathroom. For the rest of the house though… Alucard sighed; he supposed as a friend he should help Richter get his house in order before he left.

@};~'~

_Richter sensed more than heard the door to the room open to admit his two former servants. Opening an eye to see them enter, he groaned as he turned to shift his battered body and lay on his stomach while spreading his legs slightly. After the near full week spent entertaining the newly resurrected Count, Richter did not feel up to any more foreplay. Burying his face into the soft pillows of the bed again, he hoped that they'd just take what they wanted and leave him alone. _

"M'Lord." The werewolf spoke to him gruffly. "We've prepared a bath for you. The Master would like to see you tended to and fed before his return."

It took a few minutes for the words to register to his battered mind. Richter lay unresisting as familiar arms picked him up carefully to avoid aggravating his injuries. Without even an attempt to grope his nude form, the Minotaur cradled him against a warm furred chest and carried him to the bathing room. Richter was too stunned to say anything.

Much to his surprise, his two servants had ever the gentle touch as they helped him into the bath tub to wash and later dry his tender skin. Soothing balms were smoothed over the numerous scratches and bruises that covered his body, and through it all Richter found himself deeply puzzled that the two minions handled him so clinically. This was far from the reflection of his usual experience with the two.

How ever much he had wished it to be so in the months that he was Shaft's puppet Lord, Richter could never stop them from taking liberties with him, clothed or no. It had, after all been their due for protecting him while he slept. Yet here they had bathed and treated his injuries while he had not a stitch of cloth on him, and did not so much as ghost a lingering or invasive touch upon his skin.

Then his befuddled mind caught up with him and Richter remembered the Count's very public claim on him when he received the first butterfly tattoo in the main hall; a claim which he made very clear was exclusive when he brought Richter to orgasm with his hand before their audience, then fried with bolts of lightning any monster who dared try to reach for the humiliated hunter. None of the minions would ever dare to anger the Master for a bit of arse. Only he was foolish enough to try and defy the monster, Richter thought sourly to himself as he remembered the second butterfly tattoo that now adorned the inside of his left thigh scant days later.

It was almost a relief for him to be helped into the shirt, which hung loose upon his shoulders, and a pair of soft leather pants after the last few days spent in the nude. The enforced nudity harkened too much to how he spent his first several months in captivity for comfort.

Alone once more, with soup, bread, meat, fruit and a tea service left for him on the table in the room, Richter wondered what his position in the castle had become. He flushed slightly as he recalled the events of the past several days. "So—I am confirmed as the Count's personal pet Belmont now?"

As he looked at the food, Richter was momentarily overcome by the desire to throw it all on the ground and attempt a hunger strike. But he knew that such defiance was foolishness. He had little desire to be degraded yet again to the position of castle whore. He had to wait for Alucard's return. That was his only hope and though he was in no state to rebel or fight on his own, he could try and secretly assist the Dhampir as he had before.

If he could keep up an act of subservience, it would be the one mercy he could pray for that the Count would think him too broken to assist Alucard in vanquishing him. But if Alucard failed…

Richter shivered, too distraught and afraid to consider what his fate might be were the Count to ever suspect his duplicity. The addition of a third butterfly would be the least of his punishment.

@};~'~

Richter woke up the moment Alucard tried to remove the robe to change him into the clean clothes Maria had sent with the supplies. Again, Alucard felt his sense of smell assaulted by the sour scent of fear from the man as he clutched the tattered cloth tighter around his thin frame.

"Richter, I was just going to change you into something clean."

"L—leave it, Alucard. Thank you. I—I can change my own clothes."

The Dhampir release his hold on the robe, noting the brunet's apparent immediate relief at that. He could understand modesty, but the scent of fear was very much different to that of embarrassment.

However, Alucard could sense that this was not the time to touch on this. He understood enough about human interaction to know that he had to first put the man at ease before they started to really talk. Especially about what caused a devoted husband to walk away from his wife and family to stay alone.

Honestly though, Alucard felt glad that Richter had separated from his wife. The woman clearly did not deserve him if she could dismiss him and their children so easily—Alucard startled himself at this resentful thought. He had to wonder where it had come from.

"Maybe you could clean up before you get into these clothes that Maria prepared for you." Alucard quickly reached for the small pack he had placed on the chair beside the bed and handed it to Richter. "Your family sent you some stew and bread. I can set up the table and you can join me when you're ready."

Alucard breath caught in the back of his throat to see the first real smile Richter had ever graced him with since they met. It was a shy smile, but all the more prettier and nicer to receive than the mocking sneers the man had bestowed upon him when the dark priest, Shaft, controlled him. However, the smile faltered when Alucard unconsciously reached over to brush Richter's hair behind an ear.

Alucard quickly drew back. "I—I'll go set the table." He almost fled the room in his confusion. He could not say which he was more surprised over, his gesture of affection or his feelings of pain to see Richter minutely flinch away from it.

Entering the kitchen, Alucard smiled at his considerable achievement in cleaning it up to be habitable again. Looking over the polished table and the clean floors, he sighed with some relief that his familiars had been more amused than insulted to be roped into his cleaning efforts. It took a lot of work, but most of the house had been swept and dusted. It only remained for them to do the laundry and the Belmont household would again be fit to live in.

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

Richter finally appeared in the kitchen just as Alucard took the pot of reheated stew off the stove and was about to cut the bread. Gazing upon the brunet now dressed in a long sleeved poet's shirt, which was undoubtedly given to him by his father-in-law, and a pair of soft leather breeches and boots, Alucard was struck by the man's beauty. He blinked again to study the young man who seemed to look subtly different to the one he had fought in the castle. Surely Shaft's corruption was not enough to change his appearance that much?

He quickly tried to shake himself out of these irrelevant thoughts. "Feeling better now that you've had a bath?"

The Dhampir hid his smile as the brunet appeared too preoccupied in his double take as the improvement in his surroundings registered. Richter stared around him in surprised embarrassment. "Alucard, I—" He was blushing like a schoolboy. A colour that Alucard thought fitted him better than the ghastly grey pallor of earlier. "Alucard—thank you. You've—you didn't need to clean the whole house."

Alucard reached over to tug him towards the table and placed a bowl of stew before him. "Nonsense. Now and then a bit of mundane domestic activity is good for you. I'd much rather clean than be in a pitch battle."

The Dhampir tried not to show any surprise in his countenance as he released the man's arm. Contrary to his memory, Richter's arms did not appear to be as solid or muscular as he thought they should be and it distressed him. Not for the first time, he was glad that humans did not have as keen a sense of smell as he had. He wanted the man at ease; it wouldn't do at all if he could smell his every emotion.

Fortunately, Francois Renard was a very shrewd man, given his occupation as France's ambassador to the region, and included with the supplies a few bottles of his best cider. The old gentleman had confided in Alucard that he was worried over what his son-in-law might have suffered during his year of captivity under Shaft's control. Francois urged the Dhampir to try and get Richter to talk if he could. That was one thing that the older man had failed to do with Richter.

While Francois could guess what might have happened, his son-in-law felt too much shame and embarrassment to face him, much less talk about what happened during the year that he had been missing. Alucard had promised Maria and her father that he would do his best to get through to Richter.

It took a while, but with good food in his belly, a most excellent cider to chase it down and light banter in a warm kitchen, Richter's growing ease and comfort in Alucard presence started to emerge. It also helped that Alucard had known Trevor and could regale the young man with details of his ancestor's adventures while confirming or denying the tall tales that were told of the man.

"He didn't!"

"He most assuredly did. Your esteemed ancestor was a good man, but truthfully not exceedingly bright in matters of the heart." Alucard grinned at Richter's amusement. "It took him a rather long while before he realised that our companion Sypha Belnades was a woman."

"Well, she must have forgiven him since she did marry him." Richter chuckled as he drank deeply of the cider.

"Oh, good. So he did propose eventually. I knew he wasn't that thick in the head." Alucard helpfully filled their goblets again, careful to not let the man notice that he wasn't drinking as much cider as he appeared to be.

"It—must have been a shock for you to apparently see them again in the inverted castle…"

Alucard sighed as he waited patiently while Richter appeared to study the cider in his goblet. He hadn't been quite sure that he could get away with it. He had thought that Richter was brighter than his golden haired ancestor, but he still hoped to get the younger man drunk enough to loosen his tongue.

"Did—you ever meet Shaft before?" Richter asked quietly after taking a small sip of cider.

"No." Alucard shook his head trying his best to keep things conversational. "He apparently rose somewhere during my 300 years of asleep."

"A crafty bastard." Richter continued softly as if Alucard hadn't spoken. "It felt like it took me forever to defeat him and I even had to face his ghost before I confronted the Count.

"C—could have knocked me for a loop to find myself facing him again four years later. He—I didn't know it then, but he laid a curse on me before—before I banished his ghost. Should have considered that his sect could have resurrected him easier than the count…" Alucard stayed silent, helpfully filling the goblet again after Richter drained it in a gulp.

"Shaft—he planned it really well." Richter's voice had grown soft as he recounted the meeting of so long ago. "Let the curse build over three years. I didn't realise… Grandfather Simon would have been disappointed.

"It didn't kill me though. It wasn't like the curse that was placed on him. It just—gave Shaft control over me. I—I couldn't fight him, Alucard.

"I was feeling—could sense the unease building over the last year. I searched for that sect—I thought that night to have finally caught up and—I couldn't lift a finger against him. He planned all that; He expected me to track him down and present myself helpless before him. And like a fool, I did exactly that."

"You couldn't have known, Richter." Alucard reached over silently to rest his pale hand over a trembling fist. "Subtle magic like that—if Maria hadn't given me the holy glasses I wouldn't have been able to tell that you were ensorcelled."

"You're kind to say that, Alucard."

Alucard's put down his goblet of cider and reached over to lift Richter's chin so that they would look each other in the eye. "No, I'm being truthful."

Richter just blinked at him in surprise until Alucard self-consciously drew his hand back. He couldn't understand what had come over him. In all his waking life, he couldn't recall ever being this comfortable about touching another's person before.

"It's not your fault." Richter told him softly as his gaze turned back into his Goblet.

"What?" Alucard was suddenly annoyed with himself. For some reason with this period of wakefulness he was being constantly surprised and caught off balanced. He didn't like it.

"It'll be better if I explained. I—Shaft—" Richter continued softly without looking up. "I may have fallen into Shaft's trap, but he didn't have my cooperation. He told me—In this generation, I am the only vampire hunter alive. He wanted to turn me to the Count's side. Once—once Dracula was raised with a Belmont on his side…"

"I felt it." Alucard nodded to him. "It was what woke me from my slumber. I have slept through the rise of the castle before."

Richter stayed silent for a long while. Alucard patiently waited for him to speak again. In the silence that stretched between them, Alucard could see how the brunet was trembling as if to steel himself to continue speaking. He could feel his own disquiet grow as he considered the approximate year's passage between Richter's capture and the castle rising.

"I—I wouldn't join him. I refused to—to join him—and he—and he—" Richter started to shiver quite violently now.

His hitched sobbing tore into Alucard's heart and the Dhampir found that he could not quietly sit apart from him. Noisily pulling his chair closer until they were sitting almost side by side, Alucard reached over to rest his arms around the man's shoulders in an awkward hug.

Richter leaned into his comforting embrace as he tried to get himself under control again. "With—my being aware of it—he couldn't cast a spell of—of control over me. I kept fighting—to keep him from controlling my mind. I'd always suspected he knew I'd struggle and—he planned it—deliberately. I—don't know how long it was—He—how long it took to—break my will.

"He—knew I would never bend to torture so—he—let—he let—" If Alucard's ears were not as acute as his other senses, he would have missed Richter's next words. As it was, he really wished he had not heard them. "I—became a—whore for his followers."

Alucard's arms tighten over Richter's shoulders. Hearing how his young friend had suffered… it made wish he had killed Shaft more painfully.

"It was—it was all fuelled by a spell. Cast on me that—that any creature of the dark would lust after me—de—desire to take me.

"He kept healing me—giving—me an elixir whenever he thought I was near death—It—it wouldn't stop—so many—the monsters all—all wanted—a—a taste of a Belmont. I don't know how long—" Richter shuddered under Alucard's embrace as he remembered his captivity. "I couldn't take it anymore. "

"Lesser men would have given up before the threat was carried out, Richter." Alucard told him quietly.

"It would have been—an age of darkness, Alucard. I couldn't—I am just one—I—thought he'd make a mistake one day—that—that I'd die before he could get the elixir to me. I could have—"

"You've done more than any sane man would have demanded of you, Belmont!" Alucard gripped Richter by the shoulders and shook him. "There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"But it doesn't excuse what I accepted after—after allowing Shaft into my mind." Richter glared at him through his tears. "I was to be the new Lord of the castle until the resurrection of the Count, but what monster would respect the castle whore?!"

Alucard fell silent, letting Richter speak. The man looked down again, letting his long hair obscure his face. "Once—once Shaft clothed me and gave me back my weapons, I wasn't easy prey anymore. And he no longer allowed them to gang up on me. It was straightforward then for me to bring them in line and discipline them. Now—they tried to curry favour with me—to be allowed to touch me. Or take their chances and—try to—catch me by surprise.

"And I couldn't stay on guard all the time. It—was too exhausting, and Shaft wouldn't allow me to cast an enchantment over my bedchambers as I did with the manor." Richter's voice again turned very soft. "Of the numbers—I chose—I chose—a werewolf and a Minotaur to be my favoured ones to—guard my back—and my nights."

"Richter—you don't have to go on." Alucard told him gently.

"I did that willingly, Alucard!" Richter looked up at him in anguish. "And I chose them because—because they did not hurt me as much—when—when—"

"Richter!" Alucard interrupted him again. He had heard enough. The fury that burned within him for this beautiful man's suffering was making him wish the castle would rise again just so he could kill all its denizens more painfully. "You were placed in an intolerable situation. However much you think you had some free will in making your decisions, you had no choice. If you hadn't chosen, you would have exposed yourself—to much greater violation, wouldn't you?"

"Shaft—he did nothing to stop them from trying to—He said that it would ensure I stayed on my toes, and—would make me a greater prize for the Count to—possess." Richter looked down again. "I wanted to take my life—Shaft's control over me ensured I could not.

"After the castle rose, I thought all was lost until I sensed Maria and you appear." Richter looked up then. "I—I interfered where I could get away with it. But later—Shaft took total control of my body…

"I don't think I said it after you broke Shaft's control over me, Alucard. But 'Thank you.'"

Alucard stroked a gentle hand over Richter's face, brushing at the tracks of tears. Firmly trying not to think of what the foul priest might have done to take total control of the beleaguered hunter. "I'm sorry I was not there sooner. I'm sorry I—let you be taken again."

"I am thankful you were there are all." Richter told him quietly. "Alucard?" The hunter gripped the pale hand that was still stroking his cheeks.

Alucard blinked as he realised what he was doing. The significance of his actions to Richter's tale was becoming all too clear. "God's teeth!" He leaped from his seat and drew away sharply. "Shaft's enchantment over you still exists?"

"It took me a while to realise what was going on with the upturn of darkling activity around the village, but there was no mistake." Richter nodded miserably. "I have already tried several Uncurses, they did not work. You held up remarkably well. I was surprised. Normally, the stronger the—blood, the stronger the—response."

Alucard's eyes widened at his memory of the invitation the man had given to him to allow him to freely enter his residence. "Richter—you took a terrible chance—"

"I remembered your reaction when you saw Maria and me off. Your gaze never lingered." The hunter shook his head. "You are half vampire and you should have responded to the curse, but you didn't. I knew that I was in no danger from you.

"It—dissipates with distance, Alucard. If you want to go, I'll be all right now."

"No, Richter. I have control over my own libido." Alucard rubbed his temples as he took his seat beside the man again. "I would never hurt you."

"I know." Richter gave him a small smile in assurance.

They sat side by side in companionable silence sipping their cider as they basked in the warmth of the kitchen fireplace. The quiet lasted only until Alucard turned towards Richter to confirm a little question he had, now that he had heard his story.

"Natou?"

Richter chuckled. "What did you expect from a grave keeper. It went well with Miso soup."

Alucard stuck out his tongue. "It was the most revolting thing I ever came across."

"Blame Shaft. He had his periods when he'd have a craving for Japanese food." Richter chuckled. "And before you ask, I have no idea where Japan is. I imagine it's one of the lands far out there reachable only by sea.

"I am sorry about the Toadstools." The hunter apologised in a subdued voice.

"Compared to Natou, the toadstools were preferable. You at least left me potions to handle poisoning." Alucard shuddered. "I couldn't get the taste from my mouth for the rest of the day.

"You—took a great chance when you arranged to leave me food and items."

"You can thank Shaft for making it possible—" Richter admitted quietly. "He made it so that the—minions care more about getting on my good side than worry about betraying him. And—I was hoping that I wouldn't have to—pay up."

"Richter—"

"Once Dracula was there, I didn't need to, you know? But my freedom was totally curtailed. I couldn't do much to make supplies available to you."

"I had far more help than I dared dream of, Richter. Thank you again for taking the risk."

"I know there's—a pack of werewolves waiting outside. I barely escaped from them, which is how I got injured." The Dhampir blinked at how quickly Richter had changed the subject. It made him immediately suspect that the man must have been discovered and suffered for the assistance he had rendered to Alucard.

"I'm safe in here." A small smile touched Richter's lips. "If you saw the flowers and fruit? There's actually a young werewolf courting." Alucard killed the growl in his throat before it could be voiced.

"Alucard?" Richter wouldn't look at him as he said his next words. "I—came to like the two who served me. They never—they were always considerate; just took their pleasures and left me alone once they had their fill. O-occasionally, they had even stayed to cuddle and offer me comfort and companionship. They gave me but a small sanctuary in the hell that was my life."

Alucard reached over to rest an arm over Richter's shoulders. "You were placed in an intolerable situation, Richter. You should not feel any shame for what you had to do.

"Your father-in-law suspects as much, Richter, he does not think any less of you. He and Maria worry for you."

"It is not worth it, Alucard." Richter told him softly. "They should have followed Annette's example."

Alucard frowned at this, Maria had told him that Annette only abandoned Richter weeks after he walked away from the Renard estates. "Richter, you knew that she'd—"

"She never loved me. I knew that. After—I could never have faced her…"

"Then forget her. Francois and Maria still consider you family." Alucard told him firmly. "They will stand by you and help you raise your daughters. You can marry again—"

"I will be the last Belmont, Alucard." Richter interrupted him softly.

"Nonsense, you can marry aga—"

"Shaft saw to that. He wanted to present his Master with the last Belmont who was to be totally subservient to him. Without his enchantments, the effects of a full year after that—mutilation are finally catching up on me." Richter looked up at Alucard with haunted eyes. "Surely you've—seen the changes—that show that I—that—I—am no longer a—man.

Alucard did not quite understand. He tried to think of all the differences he could recall observing of the man as he was now compared to the controlled being he faced in his father's castle. He did note a rather frighteningly vast decrease in muscle tone and perhaps if he thought about it, Richter had less facial hair than he would have expected. He hardly thought that the man would have dared to use a razor if his hands had trembled that much during his illness.

"I couldn't stay and—let anyone find out. Surely the shame of being labelled a recluse is—lighter than what I have become. I've already brought enough shame to the Belmont name." Richter lowered his gaze, unable to meet Alucard's eyes anymore. "I—can father no more children, Alucard. The Belmont name ends with me."

Alucard had heard enough. He finally understood the shame that drove Richter away from his family. "Richter, you are not any less of a man for what Shaft did to you."

The Dhampir pulled him to his feet and made him look him in the eye. "It is what's in your heart that tells all of your courage. I would challenge any man to live and stay sane after what you have suffered."

"But—"

"The Belmont bloodline still runs in your daughters." Alucard growled at him, not letting him interrupt. "And who can say that they will not find a husband who will let them keep the name?

"By all rights of marriage, Trevor should not have been a Belmont. Sonia, his mother was the Belmont in her generation to fight my father. And yet your bloodline and heritage is named for her. Not her husband."

Richter's eyes grew large at Alucard's words. "But—it—the family whip has—"

"Has been passed down from father to son since Trevor's time." Alucard finished for him. "Perhaps it had made sense to those generations. But I would dare say Maria would be the first to punch you across the room for belittling her sex. *As would* your legendary ancestor Sonia Belmont; the first Belmont I fought beside against my father."

Richter blinked at him in shock as he slowly processed this idea. "Train—train my daughters?"

Alucard looked at him reassuringly. "If they are Belmonts they should take to the training like ducks to water."

"Even—if they did not take the Belmont name." Richter narrowed his eyes in thought. "It is the heritage that is more important. The name—the family line would be safer. The Count would not be able to target the family as easily if they cannot trace us by our names…"

Alucard heaved an inward sigh of relief to see the light of hope touch Richter's eyes. His scent changed as well. The crushing despair that Alucard first smelled on him was starting to lift. Alucard knew it would be too much to hope for the man's depression to completely dissipate, but this was at least a start.

"But—"

The Dhampir almost winced at the fall in Richter's tone.

"Shaft's curse is still upon me, Alucard. For the village's safety, I cannot go back."

"Richter—"

"Would you stay with Maria, Alucard?" Alucard frowned at him, not quite understanding what the man meant.

"She loves you." The hunter told him with a teasing smirk. "She did not have the courage to say so before, but if you give her a chance…"

He didn't quite know what to say to Richter's claim. During the numerous encounters with her in the castle, Alucard certainly admitted that he admired Maria for her spirit and determination. She reminded him of Sonia, his first love; as did Richter as well, actually. When he first met Sonia's son Trevor, Alucard's mind had been filled with 'what if's' and an irrational jealousy that she had found someone who could give her a child that he was incapable of.

He shook his head over that old daydream and looked down to realise with some shock that he had pulled Richter into an embrace. Alucard flushed in guilt for letting himself be ensnared in the curse to react so, though Richter's relaxed limpness proclaimed much in telling him that the man trusted him enough to fall asleep in his arms.

He picked up the man with a rueful grin and headed towards the bedrooms. This seemed to be too comfortable a state to interrupt.

The man woke up once when he felt Alucard start to undress him, but much to his delight Richter trustingly fell asleep again almost immediately. As it was, Alucard did not linger in pulling on a comfortable pair of loose sleep pants over the man's legs.

It was only after he was outside Richter's room that Alucard allowed himself to think of the tattoos he had found on the man's body; numerous roses that covered him from the small of his back to his shoulders and three blue butterflies on the inside of his left thigh. Somehow, Alucard had a feeling that Shaft had been responsible for the roses while his father could lay claim to the butterflies.

It had taken a count to a hundred, as Alucard stood outside Richter's door, to calm himself before he turned towards the guest room he had chosen to use. Before he retired for the night though, Alucard wrote a short message, took out an egg that Maria had given him and tapped it three times. A dove emerged to which he attached the message and let it out the window.

He hoped that Maria would heed the message and be patient until his return. By his estimate, Alucard thought that he would try to stay at least a week to make sure Richter was in his right mind again and would not do anything foolish after he departed. Perhaps if all went well, he could even persuade the man to come back with him.

Alucard spent the night dreaming of returning to the castle and replaying his various battles with his father's minions. The things he did to them were much more satisfying in the light of what Richter had confessed to him.

tbc


	4. Chapter 4

_As he hung from chains in the centre of the opulent bedroom, Richter had to wonder how hopeful he had been to keep on offering assistance to Alucard in his second attempt to enter the castle. Still, he could not regret his actions. _

He could have chosen to escape with Maria that fateful day when he had her take Alucard to safety while he held the Count off, then returned himself to fight the Count as he had done five years earlier. However, Richter had to be honest about his own abilities and limitations. With what Shaft had precipitated with his mutilation during his captivity, Richter knew that he could no longer command the necessary strength or stamina needed to face the Count. Alucard had the greater chance to stop the Count's reign.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he hadn't paid any attention to the sound of the door opening behind him. The Count's presence was as much a shock to him as the touch that drew immediate shivers down his spine. "You do so love to test me, isn't that so, dear Richter?"

" I still have my free will. Whether you discover it now or later…" Richter shrugged as he looked up at the vampire defiantly.

"You have that much faith in my son, love?"

Richter growled at the endearment. "You do not love me."

"And if I did?"

"You find a use for my body, no more." Richter snapped back.

"Do not try me, Richter." The Count warned him dangerously. His hand reached over to grab the hunter's pants to tear them off. "Are you so eager to add more butterflies to your inner thighs?"

The thus exposed tattoos made Richter blush. He could well remember the tattooing sessions where the Count stood over him while a familiar minion inked the blue winged butterflies on his inner left thigh. If the Count had not been there, the minion would have no doubt worked on him in between fucking his brains out, as it was wont to when the roses had gone on his back. But with the claim the Count made on his person, none had dared to touch him since.

Cool hands stroked the designs on his thigh. "This has barely healed, Richter."

He couldn't hold back a hiss of pain when the Count's hand brushed against the slight swelling. The Vampire frowned at him and gently removed the rest of his pants. "Let me see."

"As if I could stop you." Richter told him softly as he turned away, refusing to look at the Count. However, he couldn't hold back a strangled gasp when he felt a warm wet tongue trace the lines of the new tattoo. From the tingling trails of fire he felt left behind by the tongue's passage, the hunter guessed that the sensitive skin on his inner thigh was being encouraged to heal.

Richter could not arrest the shiver running down his spine at the breath that brushed against his suddenly overheated skin. Cool lips pressed against the top of one long strip of abused flesh and an agile tongue deftly traced it in another lingering wet lick. He jerked in his chains and tried to avoid the touch. The Count's face was too near his cock for comfort.

He hated this. His body was no less firm and hard but he had lost a lot of muscle tone since Shaft's operation. The strength he had spent years building up in his training and exercise with the whip had melted away, leaving Richter with the level of power he had had in his early adulthood.

"You are so much better like this, dear Richter."

"It is a matter of opinion." Richter gritted as he tried to control his reactions.

He could feel the count's smile against his skin as the vampire started to breathe on his very responsive cock. "You must understand, it has been many years since I had someone to pleasure."

A light finger touched him then upon his dusky rose entrance. And unaccountably, Richter could feel his body flush in arousal and eagerness for what was sure to come. He hated that his body instantly relaxed to let the finger easily breach him. He hated that the Count only required a few twists and prods to have him writhing and mewling with want and need. He hated it… Richter just couldn't understand how the Count had made his body betray him and desire to have his cock plunder and possess him.

Richter managed to forcefully pull himself out of the nightmare before the Count could begin to fuck him. Alucard was in residence; the hunter didn't want him to hear or be aware of his troubled sleep, not especially when his father was the chief cause.

@};~'~

"Are you sure about not returning with me?" Alucard asked as he stood near the door of the courtyard. He had stayed but two days instead of the intended seven and he was reluctant to leave his friend.

"I still have the curse upon me." Richter shook his head sadly. "Until it's broken, it's best that I stay as far away from innocents as I can. The Belmont manor is guarded by enchantments. I'll be safe here."

"I could—"

"Alucard! My ancestor Trevor did write about your usual appetite. I can see that you're starving yourself in an effort not to put a strain on the supplies Maria sent to me." Richter laughed at him gently. "I admit that I will miss your company, but for your own health, you need to eat!

"Besides, Maria will be waiting for you."

Alucard almost bit his tongue to stop himself from asking if Richter would wait for him too. He could not be sure if the words were true or if they were a result of the curse upon the man.

Richter gave him a rueful smile. "It dissipates with distance."

Alucard gave him an annoyed look. The man was too perceptive for comfort. "Maria and maybe your daughters would like to visit you the next time I make this trip."

"Is that your way of warning me that I had better ensure that I keep the place clean?"

"Maria would have been horrified to see the state this place was in before I came." The Dhampir arched an eyebrow at him teasingly.

Richter shook his head as he escorted Alucard towards the door. "I no more like a messy home than she does. I will be fine, my friend."

Alucard frowned as he stepped out on the porch to note that the flowers and fruit had been changed and now it appeared that a recently roasted turkey sat by the door. Richter looked around him to see the presentation and gave him a rueful chuckle.

"The—pup has been persistent…"

"Surely you're not—?" Alucard clamped his mouth shut as a flicker of pain crossed Richter's eyes.

"I would rather not be reminded, Alucard. And please, I know better than to approach a wolf pack with this curse upon me."

With that Richter tore his eyes away from the offerings and held a letter and a neatly wrapped package to Alucard. "If you would, my friend, please take this to Maria. Tell her and my father-in-law that I am grateful for their concern and that I am all right. Perhaps—

"Alucard, thank you for being with me these last few days—for letting me confide in you." Richter told him softly as he gripped the black-sleeved arm. "There is still much for me to meditate on for my own peace of mind, but you have already helped me a great deal. Now go, before you embarrass me any further."

"I will be back, Richter." Alucard waited until the brunette locked the gate after him before he started on the track back to the village. While he did not like the idea of leaving Richter alone, the man was right about his need to feed. Also, as he was reminded, Maria awaited his return and he did realise that in his heart he was eager to see her again too.

@};~'~

Alucard blinked at Francois Renard in what he hoped was astonishment at the absurdity of his statement. The old gentleman waved off his attempts to brush off his theories as being bizarre.

"I am not insensitive, neither am I unobservant, Alucard. Don't think of it as a betrayal of a confidence." Francois shook his head. "When I saw how Richter greeted my daughter after their separation of over a year, I knew something was wrong."

"Sir, but—"

"I have seen the same expression during my days in the army—from returning prisoners of war." Francois interrupted him sadly. "I know Richter would never have yielded under torture. He would have accepted death first.

"But there are far worse things that can be done to a man. That demented priest held Richter as a prisoner for over a year. Time enough for the bastard to shatter his soul and remould him into an ally."

Alucard could feel his anger rise within him again to think of what Richter had told him of his time in captivity. "He feels he cannot face his family after what he has been put through."

The old gentleman sighed in irritation. "What kind of family would we be to turn away from him for what was done to him? There's *nothing* to be ashamed of. He is a good man. The bastard priest's mutilation hasn't changed that. Neither has what he suffered made him—'tainted' or 'soiled'.

"Gods, Alucard. If there are any who should be shamed it is we men of this city whom Richter has protected and guarded since he came to help us five years ago. We eventually learnt of his fate. We *knew* where he was imprisoned; the men who ventured near enough to that dreaded castle's grounds could often hear his screams of agony and pain. But still we did nothing more than bow our heads and pay the tribute they demanded."

"Sir, to do otherwise would have been suicide if you did not possess the same power or skill as your erstwhile protector." Alucard told him diplomatically.

"Perhaps it was… When Maria brought him back, I tried to persuade him to have a surgeon look him over, but Richter refused. And from this, many of us could see and guess for ourselves what he must have suffered since he strove not to let anyone see his scars and the evidence of past injuries.

"Alucard, this is not a time for him to be left alone." Francois turned to him in worry. "I have met other men who were treated just as cruelly, and without the support of friends they can be given to depression and despondency.

"Richter must be made to understand that it is not the end of the world. He has two lovely daughters to think of who need a father now that their mother has abandoned them. And they are heirs enough for his bloodline."

"I don't believe that he will do anything foolish, Sir." Alucard looked at him in assurance as he sipped his tea. "We managed to speak, with some help of that excellent cider you gave us, and his spirits have much improved.

"Unfortunately, he thinks he has to remain apart from his family because of a curse that still hangs over him. Until we can break that curse, Richter is doomed to attract all manner of darkling creatures and he fears that they will cause harm to innocents."

The old gentleman continued to look upset. "It's just as well that Annette has left him then. I love her dearly, but she would never be able to put up with this part of Richter's heritage.

"Was—was he much upset by her departure?"

"He—wasn't unprepared to receive this news." Alucard frowned at him. "Though—I find myself surprised that his wife would give up on him so quickly after waiting for over a year…"

"She didn't wait, Alucard." Francois said softly, knowing that Alucard's acute hearing would pick up on his words. "And I would thank you not to ever let Richter or Maria know of this. But in the intervening time, Annette had met another young man. She stayed only out of obligation. It is he whom she has gone to seek out after Richter released her.

"In her way, she did love Richter and would probably have ignored her heart to stay in the miserable relationship rather than tell him that she had already moved on. Though sad as it may sound, this was for the best. She was much relieved rather than saddened that Richter chose to leave. "

"He will never hear it from me."

The sound of the main door opening and closing interrupted their talk and Maria soon swept into the drawing room, looking quite out of breath. "Oh, Alucard! I heard that you returned."

"My lady." The Dhampir rose from his seat and bowed gracefully to her. "I did promise to return."

She cheeks pinked delicately as she smiled radiantly at him. "And are you well? Is Richter well?"

Unnoticed by the two, Francois Renard was hiding a smile behind a sip of tea as he carefully studied his younger daughter and his guest. Far from the usual despair he carried over his younger daughter's single-hood, Francois anticipated the sound of wedding bells in the near future.

The only man he had ever thought would have been a match for the spirited Maria married his elder daughter instead. Watching the sparks between the two young ones gave him some hope that he wouldn't feel obligated to burden Richter and try to marry him off to the daughter who he did think was better suited to him.

@};~'~

Richter tossed and turned in his bed caught again in memories of the past. He had hoped with the fever broken and his health well on the mend that the nightmares would also cease. However, that apparently was not to be. The one small mercy was that the nightmares which plagued him did not seem as vivid and real as they had been during the fever. Unfortunately, they were still bad enough to be disturbing.

_As much as the Count loved leaving Richter unrestrained to give him a tiny semblance of free will while fucking him, the Vampire also apparently enjoyed wrapping his former opponent in gleaming chains. The Count always had an audience for his tattooing sessions, but would dismiss his attendants when it was over so as to be left alone with Richter in the dungeons while he still lay chained on his back and immobile upon a stand._

In this memory, the hunter's wrists were manacled to the base of the stand, with lengths of chains across his neck, chest and waist to hold him down. There was a loop of chain around his right ankle which had been drawn up towards the ceiling and secured such that his leg was at a right angle to his body. His left leg had been pressed flat on the stand and tied down about knee and ankle so that his thigh was conveniently positioned as a canvas for the tattoo artist to work.

Unlike Shaft, the Count did not give him either blindfold or a gag during the tattoo sessions. And Richter had yet to decide if it was better to be blinded while being aware of the audience, or able to see the monsters gathered and lustfully observing the spectacle made of him. To Richter's observation, one clear disadvantage of the lack of a blindfold was his inability to hide the tears of pain that escaped his eyes during the painful marking of his skin. However, he at the least managed to hold his voice even without a gag's assistance.

"Dear Richter, do you enjoy these tattooing sessions so much? It's been less than two weeks and yet you've already collected your third butterfly." The Count purred as he swirled a finger over the small puddle of come that lay on his stomach.

Richter could not help the flush that coloured his cheeks at the reminder of the Vampire's skilful hand job in front of their audience. The Count always made a big show of dragging an orgasm out of him before he'd let the tattoo artist begin his work; leaving Richter panting and humiliated as he endured the pain of the needles while being much too aware of the cooling splatter of his own come pooling or dripping down his chest and stomach.

"You could always let me go if this is so tiresome?" Richter turned away as much as the chains allowed him too.

"You seem to fail to grasp the purpose of punishment, Richter."

"And you fail to understand the purpose of my family and my obligation as the last of the line to defy you."

"Do you desire so fervently to be returned to your first role in these dungeons, Richter?" The Count asked him with some amusement.

Richter steadfastly refused to let his voice waver in terror at the threat, and responded calmly. "It is not a preferred position, but then it also means I've won in this battle of wills since you gave up. And the Belmonts would have proven we would defy you to our last breath."

"Dear, Richter. You seem to forget that I am immortal. I can show infinite patience." A gasp escaped Richter's lips before he could control it as the Count suddenly pressed two fingers into him. "And this is far from unpleasant for me."

Richter gritted his teeth as he felt his traitorous cock responding to the vampire's firm teasing rubs against a special spot within him. In truth, Richter could not claim that the Count's use of his body was unpleasant either. The vampire was a considerate lover and he always ensured Richter orgasmed before seeking his own relief—whether the hunter wanted it or not…

It still pained Richter to know the vampire could play his body like an instrument; no matter how hard he tried to fight the arousal, Richter just could not resist succumbing to the pleasure the Count pulled from his body. He couldn't—did not want to believe the vampire's claim that his body recognized it's servitude to him. And yet, there had been no other who could tease and draw pleasure from his body the way the Count did. Not even—even his wife—Annette…

Annette… He hadn't thought of her or his daughters for months now. A year—he hadn't seen his family in over a year… If he was ever freed from the castle—Richter did not believe he could look her in the eye ever again and accept her love.

A sudden solid presence pushed into him, bringing Richter's attention back to the Count who had released his cock from the confines of his pants to begin fucking him on the altar. "I have infinite patience, dear Richter." The vampire purred as he leaned in closer to lick the tears from his cheeks. "We can do this as many times as you want and have your body completely covered with butterflies if you so wish it."

More tears escaped Richter's eyes as his thoughts went to Annette again while the Count made his blood sing in arousal. Even if he managed to escape, he could never let her see his body. Shaft took away his manhood and the tattoos—He couldn't ever let anyone see him like thi—

A sharp slap rocked Richter's head to one side breaking him from his thoughts and a hand seized his face making him face the Count. "You are *mine*, Richter. You will think of no one else, especially *while* I'm fucking you."

The hunter stared into the red eyes boring in his skull as more tears spilled down his cheeks. He could see the possessiveness that filled the vampire's eyes as he gazed upon him… He could feel his body climbing in arousal and pleasure with the Count's fucking… He wore three blue winged butterflies on his inner left thigh and a host of red roses down his back… And Richter knew crushing despair worse than what he had felt when Shaft had his minions gang rape him into submission to hold his body and soul in thrall and send it against Alucard…

Richter knew the Count recognized his surrender when he immediately swooped in to devour his lips and plunder his mouth with an agile tongue. And fortunately this was done just a spark before Richter suddenly remembered his last grain of hope with the vampire's own son; that Alucard was still free, out there and most arguably sure to win the fight against his father.

And so Richter closed his eyes, lay back, relaxed and let the Count ravish and play with his body as he wished; giving in just this much by not fighting the pleasure anymore, if only to hide the tiny flame of hope in his heart that he could fool the Count enough to be allowed some freedom which could give him the opportunity to assist the Dhampir again. With this last memory, Richter was finally able to slip into a calmer sleep pattern. He had, after all, succeeded in his deception for quite a long while before the Count caught on.

@};~'~

"Alucard? Are you listening to me?"

The Dhampir did a guilty double take as he gazed at the young lady who held his arm as they walked towards the marketplace. "I—I'm sorry Maria, I was—thinking of Richter."

"It is not healthy for him to be staying alone." She agreed in concern as they stopped for a moment before a bread stall. "Is there nothing we can do to break the enchantment?"

"He has much of his notes, research and books from his years of study." Alucard frowned as he thought of the library that he had helped Richter straighten out before he left. It was a great pity that Richter had lost most of his family's library in a fire that he barely escaped when he was younger.

"He believes that with some quiet time to study, he can eventually learn how to break the enchantment. From what we've discussed, his father and he had done much together in their development of their powers and skills in the magic arts. He had worked hard to put his knowledge down in writing. This would just be another challenge." He started to chuckle with the next thought. "Like the enchantment he made for his baths."

Maria smile in amusement at this observation. "Oh, and are they really as opulent and decadent as they sound. Annette had always described it to me as so, but she would also claim that I was too young to be shown to it. Richter used to tease me that he had made it for a lovers' romp."

A slight heat touched Alucard's cheeks as his mind suddenly conjured an image of Richter bare-chested as he reclined in the warm waters of the pool. He quickly blinked away that vision and turned his attention to Maria whose cheeks were just as pink. "Perhaps you would like to see it when we visit?"

Maria's eyes went wide and Alucard slapped a hand over his mouth when he realized what he had just said to her. "I—I—forgive me, I did not—I—mean—I hadn't meant—"

She gripped his arm tighter and leaned into his shoulder as she told him solemnly. "Alucard, I would be most disappointed if you withdrew that invitation."

Alucard reminded himself that he never smiled. But for that afternoon, he was quite sure that he must have had a silly grin on his face as he accompanied Maria through the market place.

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

Richter dived into the heated depths of his luxurious bath and quickly surfaced again in a cascade of steamy waters which flowed down his face and over his shoulders like a stream. Gods did he love the baths. He had always thought them worth every penny and effort he spent building them.

As he lazily swam over to a shallow shelf to rest, he remembered not for the first time how much he endured Annette's exasperation and teasing to construct the large indoor pool. Fortified by his spells and enchantments, the water stayed as clear and clean as a natural hot spring. A fact Richter was very thankful for given how frequently he'd used it since his return to the manor.

Still, Richter had often found himself wondering how long he'd need to bathe before he'd feel clean of his captors. But—then again he'd remember there was nothing he could do about the tattoos…

At the least, Richter couldn't see the roses that were on his back. He knew they were there; could feel the difference in the texture of his inked skin; he could stand with his back to a mirror and look over his shoulder to see the artwork if he so wished. But Richter could also ignore their existence. The same could not be said of the blue winged butterflies that adorned his inner left thigh.

Looking through the waters at his thighs and groin, Richter barely held back a sigh as he observed the stark reminder and evidence of his captivity in Castlevania. His cock hung lonely between his legs, no longer backed and attached to a set of balls which marked his current inability to ever father a son now. And on his left thigh were three beautiful blue winged butterflies in various postures of flight; the Count's gifts to him for his persistent defiance.

Richter shuddered with the sudden chill that swept over him despite the heated waters he sat immersed in. As the Count had promised, the butterflies invoked in the hunter a memory of the vampire as he fucked him and exerted a firm claim upon his body. Over a month after Alucard had rescued him and sent his father back into slumber, Richter was no closer to puzzling out how the Count could exert so much control over him and extract pleasure from his body despite his reluctance.

Thinking of the Count and what he had done to him made Richter reach between his legs in curiosity. He had never dwelled very long on sex when he was growing up. It was something he had been taught was a private affair between husband and wife. On the night of his wedding, he had been as much a virgin as Annette. But that had added its charm to their marriage as they explored and learnt to understand each other's body to give their partner pleasure. Annette, however, never touched him the way the Count did.

Richter reached below him to let his finger brush the opening that had experienced so much abuse during his captivity. It was to his shock that the gentle touch made him shiver and immediately invoked a memory of the Count's hands upon him. But he didn't let that memory make him remove his hand.

He thought of the Count again, remembering that first agonising night the Vampire turned his world upside down. The Count stuck two fingers into him, and Richter recalled that unlike later occurrences it did not immediately send bolts of arousal through his body.

Steadfastly thinking of this as clinically as he could manage it, Richter reasoned this difference to being the Count's first exploration of his body to find that traitorous spot within him. Taking a deep breath, Richter forced himself to relax and determinedly pushed two fingers within himself to see if he could find this spot too. If he could—if he could just understan—

A startled gasp escaped his lips as he unexpectedly brushed a sensitive mound within himself. Richter blinked and sucked in a few deep breaths before he tentatively poked at that mound again. The bolts of arousal that crashed through his body was distressingly familiar.

A part of Richter wanted him to immediately desist and remove his fingers, but another need burned just as strong in insisting he continue this exploration and see if he could make himself come from just this single stimulation. He felt himself shudder and quake again with the next firm rub. And before he knew it, Richter had leaned back into the steaming waters of the bath and spread his legs wider to assist his own access.

Richter's mind was conflicted as he carefully thrust and twisted his fingers within himself. This was—he was finger fucking himself. This was surely unnatural when sex was just supposed to be an activity of love between husband and wife. Anything else would be a sin. What the Count did to him—what Shaft had encouraged their minions to do—it was humiliation and torture. And yet—lying with Annette had never made him burn with pleasure the way the Vampire did in every way he violated him.

He and Annette gave each other mutual pleasure, and Richter had learned early during their marriage of her little button of arousal which could get her very quickly hot and bothered faster than his cock thrusting within her moist depths. Now though, with his own exploration, Richter was given to understand the Vampire had made him newly aware of a similar collection of nerves that rested inside of him. Nerves that when stimulated made his blood burn in a way he had never experienced with his wife, but felt each and every time the Count lay with him; nerves which were now urging him to rub firmer against it and to thrust and twist his fingers deeper within him.

However, as much as Richter tried to rub himself harder and get his fingers in deeper, there was a limit of how far he could reach into his own body. This limitation nearly made him cry, because he could feel his senses winding up tighter and tighter like a coiled spring, but he just couldn't crest it. His other hand reached for his cock now, and he let his fingers play upon its length as he tried to remember how he had touched the Count to prepare him and get his cock ready to fuck him.

Yet this was still not enough. Richter could feel tears flowing down his cheeks as he roughly thrust his fingers inside of him and jerked at his cock with his other hand. The coil of pleasure just drew ever tauter and crushing, but that peak stayed beyond his reach.

He thought of Annette, but the memory of his former wife only brought shame to Richter and an immediate dampening of his arousal. He rejected any consideration to think of the Count. The vampire was his chief abuser after his awakening, and the foremost demon of his nightmares.

Maria… She was—Richter could not see her as anymore then a child—even if he could also see the beautiful woman she had grown to be. Who else was there for him to think of except—Alucard…

And this thought brought a flood of images to Richter of the elegant Dhampir; of his gentle encouraging smile. His cool fingered touch upon his face and the light brush of fingers through his hair…

Richter abruptly released his cock and wrenched his fingers out of himself with a sickened sob of horror. He stared at his hands in aghast as if they were alien things stuck upon his arms. He couldn't believe what he had tried to do—what his captivity had done to have corrupted his soul to a state where he'd masturbate while thinking of his dear friends.

Richter rose to his feet and dived back into the deepest part of the baths, staying under the clear waters as long as he could stand it before he broke the surface again to breathe in the clean moist air as provided by his enchantments upon the baths. He reached for bath cloth and soap to clinically scrub his skin as he had done daily since he returned to the manor. And he refused to let his hands stray again.

@};~'~

"Alucard!"

The Dhampir winced as he swung towards Maria apologetically. He had zoned off again while she was talking to him. And again his mind was on Richter and his lonely existence at the manor. "I'm sorry, Maria. I—"

"You're thinking of Richter again?" She smiled at him gently.

"I worry for him." Alucard admitted.

"He should not be alone." Maria agreed as she looked him in the eye. "We should visit him, Alucard. You were supposed to have stayed a week, and yet he persuaded you to leave him.

"Isn't that something we must not let him do to himself?"

The Dhampir gaped at her in shock as he processed her words. Indeed, Richter had cleverly sent him away in the guise of escaping the curse upon him, and eating up his store of food. Alucard belatedly thought that he could easily hunt and take a deer to supplement Richter's stores.

As for the curse… Alucard's thoughts for Richter's well being were no less for the distance between them. The Dhampir was quite sure he really was unaffected by the curse, and—and that he really did carry a spark of desire for the man. And a much as he enjoyed Maria's company, he wanted to see Richter again too.

"Come, it's decided then." Maria gave him a firm nod of determination. "And if we are to make sure Richter doesn't try to drive you away again with his so 'reasonable' observations of your gastronomic needs, we'll need to do something about that."

Alucard let a faint smile of amusement touch his lips as he let Maria drag him towards the butcher's. She reminded him so much of Sonia Belmont's head strong competency, it sometimes made his heart ache and flutter in equal measure. But his thoughts… His thoughts always seemed to stray to Richter before very long.

@};~'~

It was the smallest wing of the Belmont manor, but still a wing very well used and visited by the master of the house. This was where Richter had built a sun lit chapel with an offshoot to a specialized laboratory; a peaceful little place where he came to pray and to work the distillation still he had a priest bless and help him to set up to produce the vials of holy water so important in his work.

Though it had not seen any use during Richter's year long absence, the hunter was much relieved to find the apparatus still functioning. After giving it a thorough cleaning, Richter had set it to work while he knelt at an altar facing a statue of the Belmont's patron saint and clutched a crucifix in his hands.

The gentle bubble and hiss of the still in the adjoining room was as soothing to his senses as the prayers he whispered in the quiet chapel. However, this retreat into prayer was as yet insufficient to placate his soul.

Richter lifted tearful eyes to stare at the statue, but found himself unable to take comfort from the saint's kind and benevolent countenance. He understood and could accept that what was done to him during his captivity was not in his control, and that he was arguably blameless for what he had been forced to feel. However, he had no excuse for his actions in the baths and—the coiled need and raw desire he now felt to seek that unique—'thing' the Count made him aware of.

Richter's face burned with shame again as he remembered the heat he had felt coursing through his blood because of where he touched himself. The tears fell faster as he recalled the days and nights spent lying spread beneath the vampire writhing and crying for the inferno that was forced upon him.

It was a thought for Richter to immerse himself in a tub filled with holy water in hopes that it would cleanse him of the corruption that the Count had caused to take root in his soul. Then he remembered that with the spells he used to keep his underground bathing chambers clean and fresh, the waters were not that far removed from being considered purified too. Still—he thought it was worth the effort to give it a try. It wasn't as if he'd be hard pressed to produce enough holy water with his still to make the attempt.

@};~'~

In the woods surrounding the Belmont estate, two werewolves sat up high in a tree overlooking the stone wall which surrounded the manor. They were almost chuckling to themselves as they watched the Belmont through his window as he knelt at his altar in reverent worship.

Below them, the rest of the pack was painstakingly working on the walls. They had realised a short while ago that the Belmont was probably not yet aware of the damage a year of neglected had caused to the defences of his estate. It was a calculated hope that they could quietly weaken the walls without his notice till they could punch right through. The alpha of the pack was quite sure with enough of them entering at the same time, the strength of the protective spells would be weakly distributed, letting them easily withstand the defences; allowing them to quickly attack and overwhelm their prized target by sheer numbers and brute strength. Then, the long weeks of having this sweet meat just tantalisingly out of reach would be over.

It was a shame their attempts to lure the Belmont out with gifts hadn't work. It would have saved them a lot of trouble. But nothing that was worthwhile was easy to achieve. They would have the Belmont soon enough. And the pack was rather eager to see if he wasn't already well versed in all manner of sexual perversions after his yearlong sojourn as a prisoner in Castlevania. Should he be lacking though, they were more than ready to supplement his 'education' and train him well to fulfil their desires.

@};~'~

Francois Renard looked upon Alucard with amusement and some resignation as the Dhampir told him of the plans to visit Richter again, and the determination to stay longer. "And Maria was insistent that she accompany you this time?"

Alucard spread his hands in a show of helplessness. "I believe you're in a better position to know how stubborn she can be when she sets her mind to do something."

Francois sighed. "Her mother always said she should have been born a boy. Alucard-- I had always despaired that any man in this village could ever-- be a worthy match of her spirit.

"It isn't-- in this day and age--" The older man struggled to explain this difficult subject, but he didn't know if Alucard would understand this quirk of human society. "Alucard-- as concerned as I was for Richter's well being and safety, I never wanted Maria to go to the castle. I forbade her to. In this day and age, it would also be unseemly for a young lady to travel without a chaperon, much less mount a rescue alone.

"She had finally slipped away from home during that time you met her at Castlevania. And while it was quite fine for her to return to the village at the side of her brother-in-law..." Faced by Alucard's confused though still patient expression, Francois struggled with how to more clearly explain the situation without being too crass and blunt. "Alucard-- Maria is unmarried, and you look a fine aristocratic man. Many in the village have already seen the two of you together. If she is also seen to le--"

A scream of rage interrupted the two men and brought them to their feet in alarm to face the direction of the bedrooms. It did not take very long for Maria to appear at the door to the parlour with eyes blazing in fury as she brandished a letter before her; a letter which looked very familiar to Alucard since he had delivered it to Maria when he arrived at the Ambassador's estates the previous day.

"Richter! That--that infuriating man!" She waved the object she carried in her other hand in their faces making her father and the Dhampir take an involuntary step away from her. "He sent me the VAMPIRE KILLER! He asked me to hold it for his daughters!

"If that--that *man* thinks I'll let his daughters be raised without either a mother *or* a father, I'll--I'll--oooooohhhh!" The air in her wake fairly crackled with her fury, leaving the two males almost breathless in their relief that they weren't the target of her anger.

Faced with this reminder of the whirlwind wildcat he had for a younger daughter, Francois had an abrupt change of heart. "Travel safely with her, Alucard." The old gentleman told the Dhampir. "I know most will think she'll depend on your protection in the forest, but I think it's Richter who'll need your protection from *her*."

"You don't say?" Alucard breathed as he threw a worried glance in the direction Maria had gone before he faced Francois again. "But who's going to protect *me* from her?"

tbc


	6. Chapter 6

_Richter stared up at the Count in numbed exhaustion as the Vampire laid his battered body on the bed. It felt like the Count had really taken his body to the very limits of his endurance this time. Every muscle in his body hurt and even his bones ached. After healing his thigh, the Count had fucked him nonstop while he hung from chains by his wrists for what felt like several hours, if not a full day. Richter would swear that this was the longest he'd ever been fucked without benefit of energy or healing potions. _

A chill ran through him in memory of when he had last felt similarly abused. Weak as he was, Richter still had strength enough to clutch at his throat at the ghost memory of a steel collar which prevented him from even being able to sit upright when he'd been kept in the dungeons; a collar which often cut into his neck and choked him worse than the clawed efforts of his many rapists.

A sharp slap rocked him out of the flash back into the present again where the Count was holding both his wrists in one hand while the other soothingly stroked his reddened cheek. "Stay with me, Richter." The Vampire told him softly. "I have warned my minions I do not share. You are mine alone for as long as I desire to keep you alive."

Richter finally gave in to tears as he felt the Count pin his wrists over his head and push his legs apart once more. "Please... No more."

It was too much. He was so sore and exhausted; he couldn't take it any longer. "D--Dracula-- M--Ma--Maithus?"

At this little heard name, the Count paused in his merciless rhythm. "Do you capitulate at last, Richter? Would you finally give me your word that you will surrender to my dominance?"

Richter cried harder. No... He couldn't-- Whatever the Count did to him, he couldn't give up that last bit of his soul. The Vampire sighed in frustration as he resumed the hard punishing rhythm, drawing more tears from the broken man. "I can keep this up longer than you can, my sweet pet."

"K--ki--kill--me..."

"No. I would not let you escape me so easily."

A seeming eternity passed before Richter felt the Count release his wrists, and in a short while a familiar bitter brew was poured into his slack mouth and a hand stroked his throat encouraging him to swallow the liquid. The magic of the healing potion radiated from his stomach through to the extremities of his body taking with it most of the pain and ache which the Hunter had become much too accustomed to in the last several hours.

"You want me to capitulate, yet you've never tried to enthral me, why?" Richter rasped while the Count stroked his hair.

"What challenge is that, Richter? Besides, as I'd remind you, I am immortal. I have all the time in the world to--indulge." The vampire smiled as he leaned over the hunter to kiss his unresponsive lips before moving to his neck where he teasingly scratched a fang over his carotid vein. "Perhaps I could even buy you a bit of time too; give in to temptation to bite and feed; drain you dry then bring you back as my childe."

Richter shook his head weakly in fear, this would be unbearable. He would prefer death rather than to be so inescapably tied to the vampire. The Count smiled upon him lovingly. "And could I not be sufficiently convincing?"

The vampire resumed thrusting into him but with an added twist to his hips, sending lightning bolts of pleasure burning through the helpless hunter's body once more. "I allow very few the privilege of knowing my real name, Richter. You could truly be a favourite."

Richter clawed at the Count's chest, making the token attempt to push the vampire away though he knew he was too weak to succeed. "I cannot--I cannot--I cannot--" He whispered this like a mantra with every thrust of the Count's cock within him.

"Your body says something very different, Richter." The vampire's hand was merciless as it stroked the length of his very responsive cock. And very soon, Richter cried out in anguish as much as release with the orgasm that crashed through his body. At the same time, he felt the ripple of his muscles upon the Count's cock also suck and milk his foul essence deep into him.

The Count was kind enough not to collapse upon him with the end of his orgasm. Still, even with the healing potion, Richter was already pushed beyond his limits. He drifted into merciful unconscious with the feel of the vampire's fingers gently carding through his hair and a whispered promise.

"Do not think I've forgotten, Richter. You will have your fourth butterfly after I've dealt with my son."

Richter woke a shivering, crying wreck after this latest nightmare. He had not thought about it then, but the hunter had to admit to himself now that he feared the Count would return to make good the threat to turn him. Also, while Alucard had defeated his father before he could carry out his promise of giving Richter his fourth butterfly, Richter didn't doubt the Count would remember if he returned while the hunter still lived.

He had been fortunate to have regained consciousness when the castle started to crumble after the Alucard vanquished his father. While he had lain unconscious, the Count had apparently had someone come in to clean him of the evidence from their last marathon session of sex. Richter knew he was astonishingly lucky to have found an intact set of clothes in the wardrobe and that the Vampire Killer and his weapons were among these belongings too. If he had been unarmed, Richter was sure he would not have been able to fight his way out and would have perished with the castle.

As it was, he had easily met with Maria and Alucard at the edge of the estates, and they had stood companionably side by side to watch the castle sink into the depths of the land once more. Furthermore, Richter was very relieved to realise that neither Alucard nor Maria seemed to be aware of his occupation over the last several days when he was the Count's personal project, much less what his fate was during the year he had disappeared.

Only his father-in-law Francois Renard looked upon him with shrewd eyes when he returned at Maria's side. And Richter would admit, if only to himself, that he left the village as much to escape the old man's pitying and knowing eyes, as it was to protect the villagers from collateral danger when he realized the monsters were pursuing him.

Richter hugged his blanket wrapped legs as he forced himself to take slow calming breaths to make himself stop crying. He recognized that the possibility the Count would return was not a threat he could do anything about. And the hunter was damned if he'd live in fear of the future. He already had enough problems in the present time, chief among them the curse Shaft laid upon him.

Lying back upon the bed, Richter let himself be lost in numbers and calculations for a while in assessing when he'd have enough holy water generated to run a bath. This was truly a last resort solution to treat his body as a cursed object and immerse himself in holy water. He rather hoped this would help him cleanse his mind as well.

It was a thought that this action could also turn on him. After all, the hunter used holy water as a weapon against foul creatures because it would burn and kill them. Richter wondered if the Count and Shaft could have corrupted him enough to have turned this erstwhile weapon into a tool for his own suicide.

If it came to that, Richter decided that he would be glad to embrace this fate; and that he would be at peace to know his body was ultimately consecrated in this cleansing fire of righteousness and purity.

@};~'~

Back at the village, Alucard woke from his light doze to stare out the window of the comfortable room his hosts had given him. He felt an unrest within him which refused to leave him alone. And so he rose, thinking that perhaps a short raid of the kitchen might help him settle down again.

The Dhampir was to arrive at the kitchen to find Maria already there and heating some milk over the coals. "Oh! Alucard, I was--would you like a mug of warm milk too."

Alucard shook his head as he turned to the cold box set furthest away from the stove. "Thank you for the offer, Maria, but no. I think I need something with a bit more substance."

Maria stifled a giggle as she watched her friend search out the previous night's left over roast and proceeded to devour it off the bone without bothering with utensils. "Alucard, truly-- you don't have to pretend you've had enough to eat when you haven't. Father did order sufficient food when he knew you were staying a while. Now he's despairing about all the food we have in the larder."

"Oh." Alucard pinked slightly at the reminder that the friends in this era did know his reputation quiet well.

"However, we can help by taking much of it along when we visit--Richter."

Alucard looked towards her curiously when he heard the hesitation in her words. They matched gazes and knew immediately that they shared the same gnawing worry.

"We cannot wait till morning." Maria voiced their thoughts firmly as she set aside her steaming mug of milk. "Richter is in danger."

"Indeed." The Dhampir nodded in agreement. "There is something afoot, and we must leave now."

Maria apologetically roused the cook to help pack all the spare food to take with them, and then quickly joined Alucard to rush towards their rooms.

"I had this same feeling over a year ago before Richter first disappeared." Maria told Alucard as they hurried through the mansion. "I did nothing then, but I won't let this go without taking action this time."

It did not surprise Alucard that she would bring it up again after their hurried goodbye with her father and they faced the long trek to the Belmont manor in the dark. The Dhampir didn't doubt that Maria too needed to speak as much to ward away the fears of travelling in the dark, as it was to talk about the year of worry and frustration over Richter's imprisonment.

"Father refused to hold meetings in our home." Maria told Alucard softly as they set a swift pace through the forest with the Dhampir easily carrying the bulk of their stores and weeklong provisions. "He didn't want Annette or me overhearing their fruitless planning to try and rescue Richter.

"I never let him know I'd sometimes manage to slip away from my chaperone to listen outside the windows of the council house.

"Oh, Alucard, it sounded to me like Richter was suffering so terribly in his captivity." Alucard stayed silent letting her talk. He knew more clearly how much Richter had really suffered, but he would never reveal it. It was Richter's secret to share if he ever wished to do so with anyone else.

"Richter had done so much for our village when he first found his way here to help us. He tried to train the willing men too, but--

"But when it came to a time when he needed us-- we were far too afraid and weak to lift a hand in assistance...

"And I-- I was not allowed out. But I know now how foolish I was to think that I could have helped Richter when I did not have half your or even his level of power."

"Do not sell yourself short, Maria." Alucard told her firmly. "You helped greatly in the castle. If you had not insisted that I use the holy goggles, I would not have known that Richter was ensorcelled."

"Oh! I hadn't considered--Were you all right? Did the goggles harm you?"

"Much to my surprise, they did not." Alucard assured her. "I've since then discovered I'd apparently become less sensative to such objects. They just feel warm to me now rather than burn my flesh."

"Alucard! That's wonderful!"

"I--" He looked startled at Maria's delight. Then he really thought about this revelation. "Oh, I hadn't--Oh!" And Alucard found himself walking straighter in astounded wonder to realise he was slowly leaving behind his heritage as a dark creature. Maria walked gaily beside him, happy for her friend and this telling revelation about his 'acceptance' by the higher powers that be.

At the back of their mind though was a fervent prayer that this higher power would also let them reach the Belmont estates before any misfortune fell upon Richter. They could not help thinking about the pack of werewolves 'sitting' outside the walls and the fear they felt that the monsters had somehow found a way past Richter's spells and defences.

@};~'~

Richter frowned at the metal tub critically as he poured in the last basin of holy water before he looked towards the statue of the Belmont's patron situated almost above it. He had dragged away the altar thinking to position the tub the same way he had once observed of an adult's baptism. Technically, he wasn't baptising himself, however, it appealed to him to enact a modification of the ritual to 'formally' 'cleanse' himself and hopefully help his mind move beyond his sordid period of captivity.

He reached into the tub to let his hand brush and glide in the cool water, watching as the early morning sun sparkled upon the liquid that swirled around his fingers. Perhaps this was earlier than Richter originally planned; however, after the nightmare he had awakened from, the hunter found that he was impatient to get this over with. That left the tub only half filled with holy water, but Richter did not want to wait another few hours for his still to produce the necessary volume for a full tub.

Taking a deep breath, he let the robe slip off his shoulders and pool around his unadorned feet leaving himself standing before the tub and the statue of his patron saint in just his sleep pants. Richer could feel his cheeks pink as he gazed up at the statue, however, he couldn't really explain why he would feel embarrassed to bare his body before this inanimate representation of his saint. His hands reached determinedly for the strings of his pants and he released the knot, allowing his sleep pants to fall down his legs. Completely bared and naked now apart from the crucifix he wore around his neck, Richter stepped into the tub letting himself only wince slightly at the cool feel of the water.

With his hands gripping the sides of the bathtub, Richter carefully eased himself down to sit in the water. Though he had previously given some thoughts to the holy water's reaction if it was to come in contact with some evidence of the curse upon him, the sudden heat and pain that struck him when his lower back came into contact with the water took him by surprise. He had released the sides of the bathtub in shock, accidentally plunging his whole body into the holy water which made the pain and churning heat worse as it became apparent that the curse was painted across his entire back.

Richter was fortunate the water was not deep enough that his face would have been submerged as well when he slipped. In the agonising moment of excruciating pain, he would surely have drowned had he taken that deep gasp of pain while his face had been underwater. Instincts made his hands scrabble for the sides of the bathtub again intending to help him sit upright once more. However, another side of Richter demanded that he keep his body submerged in the holy water to burn away the curse.

It was pain beyond anything Richter could remember ever experiencing. The holy water which had started out cool to the touch was now warm and getting hotter by the minute. If Richter had opened his eyes to look upon the sparkling waters he lay in, he would also have seen that it was starting to become pink with his blood as the holy water burned through his skin to reach the deeply ingrained curse.

Through the pain, he prayed and spoke his words of worship seeking forgiveness for his many sins; letting the prayers sooth his soul and help him accept the agony he now suffered as his penance for his weakness against the Count. Richter was almost faint and shaking with pain as he determinedly held his body submerged in the holy water, however, even this distraction was not enough to make him miss feeling the breaching of the perimeter spells.

Richter abruptly sat up in the waters and looked towards the window in time to see it shatter. He barely managed to turn away and cover his eyes before the shards of glass fell upon him. Turning back towards the window once the shower of glass ended, Richter was struck with the sudden realisation of how vulnerable he was before the approach of this large pack of werewolves which were swarming over the felled walls and was starting to crowd in through the smashed windows.

He had given the Vampire Killer and most of the tools of his trade to Maria through Alucard. What weapons he still retained had been left in his bedroom. The only things the hunter had in hand at that very moment were his crucifix and the holy water he sat in. And while Richter knew he could catch a few of his attackers by surprise with the holy water, he also knew that unarmed as he was with his head also still spinning from the pain of contact between his cursed flesh and the holy water, he couldn't hope to protect himself for very long against these impossible odds.

As futile as the situation looked though, Richter wasn't about to surrender without a fight. He was determined to take down as many of the attacking monsters as he could get before they overwhelmed him. Perhaps if he was lucky, he could even make them kill him instead of take him prisoner. Richter truly didn't fancy becoming a whore to the pack till such a time when Alucard or Maria decided to come out and check on him again.

~tbc~


	7. Chapter 7

Quietly hidden in the trees overlooking the Belmont's chapel, a pair of werewolves curiously watched the Belmont fill the metal tub with water. They didn't understand what the hunter was doing in this room, however, when he had let his robe and pants fall to reveal his pale skin with the beautiful artwork of roses and butterflies in all its naked glory, the werewolves could hardly believe their luck. It seemed an incredible gift to them that the Belmont would so graciously 'deliver' himself into their clutches, unarmed, naked and wet. The lookouts quickly brought this news to their comrades, and the whole pack worked almost fervently to breach the walls so that they could seize this opportunity before the Belmont regained his senses and realised his own vulnerability.

As the alpha had successfully gambled, the manor's defensive spells were spread too thin and easily shrugged off when rushed by near the whole pack of werewolves. They gave the Belmont no chance to respond to the fall of his walls, immediately diving at and smashing through the windows of the room he sat so patiently in.

They could see from his eyes that the hunter recognized his imminent defeat in their hands. However, he still rose to face them; picking up a small basin of water as he shrugged off the shards of glass which he had been showered with upon their entrance. The frontline of werewolves was ready to laugh themselves sick at the Belmont's desperation when he flung the basin of water at them in a glittering arc. The laugh, however, quickly change to howls of agony when the water hit and burned, revealing its true nature as the accursed holy water which was fatal to their kind. Before they could recover from their shock, the Belmont drenched them again with a second deluge, this time taking with it five of their numbers who withered and died in an inferno of holy fire.

However, there were still many more werewolves standing ready and safely out of reach of the Belmont's holy water. Unfortunately, that was when the hunter took the crucifix from around his neck and raised it high above him. The werewolves had only seconds to admire the almost ethereal image of this wet and naked Belmont seeming framed by the arms of his patron saint before the hunter activated his 'Holy Cross' spell; and the air was suddenly alive with shards of piercing light crosses that drove agony through the pack of werewolves, sending another six to their deaths.

Had this been any other encounter, the pack might have retreated to escape this prey who they had so clearly underestimated. However, Shaft's spell still dragged upon their senses and made the Belmont glow before them in an unholy light that demanded they take and vent their lusts upon his wet, naked body. Also, their noses could pick out the smell of the Belmont's blood even above the stench of their comrades burning carcasses, telling them that the hunter was already weakened.

So the werewolves who were still outside the manor waited and bided their time while the unfortunates within squirmed and died in the flames and holy light of the Belmont's wrath. Soon enough, the Belmont had to release the spell from exhaustion and it was when he stopped to catch his breath that the remaining werewolves worked in concert to take down their prize.

The werewolves had carried rope with them with the intended purpose to bind and tie the sure to be reluctant Belmont. The ropes now proved very useful to lasso and capture the wrist of the hand holding the crucifix and with a vicious jerk make the Belmont drop it.

Even as this happened, other members of the pack had managed to get nooses around the Belmont's other hand and over his arms to hold him tight and unable to reach for the basin or the holy water. The Belmont was struggling desperately to get loose now. But his capture was clearly a foregone conclusion in this drama.

In their impatience, however, the werewolves with the rope did not think beyond entangling and bringing down the Belmont. Instead of trying to jerk the man out of the metal tub of holy water, they pulled on the ropes, inadvertently assisting the Belmont in tipping the tub and sending a wave of holy water flying at them; dousing three more werewolves in the deadly waters.

Unfortunately for the Belmont, the ones beyond were quick to catch up the ropes trailing behind their unfortunate comrades, which had not yet touched the deadly waters, and they immediately ran for the window to avoid the rush of water across the floor; not caring that they were pulling the naked man across the shards of glass which were strewn upon the floor when the initial wave of attackers smashed through the windows.

The end of the battle seemed almost like a shock to the werewolves as they gazed upon the battered and bleeding man they had dragged out of the manor and upon the grass. In those few minutes, more than half of the pack lay dying or dead within the Belmont manor. However—to the surviving members, it also meant there were less to share the Belmont with.

With the alpha dead during the first wave of attack, the beta stepped forward now to try and grab the Belmont's arm, but he had to quickly release the man and run the hand over the grass to save it from a vicious burn. The Belmont was still wet with holy water, and the werewolves felt immediate frustration to know that their hard fought prize was still untouchable to them.

@};~'~

Richter glared in wary pain at the surviving werewolves surrounding him and still holding tight to the ropes which bound his arms to his side. His head was pounding from pain and blood loss and he knew he was in a very poor state with most of his back and shoulders practically lacerated by the broken glass the werewolves dragged him over.

In all honesty, he had accomplished more than he dared pray for in decimating their numbers. Now though, the remaining thirteen werewolves were at an interesting impasse with him in that they could not touch him without burning themselves. If Richter had hoped this would encourage the monsters to kill him or leave him alone in frustration this hope quickly died when one of the werewolves lifted his cock to urinate on him.

One by one, the other werewolves followed their leader's example and Richter cried out to disgust and humiliation as they drenched and soaked him in their stinging urine to 'wash' him 'clean' of the holy water that was toxic to their kind. The hunter knew all was lost now, and this could not be clearer when the leader picked him up from the rank puddle and moved him to another patch of grass where he held Richter firmly upon his face while his arse was held high and presented for their use.

Richter had struggled hard to try and escape the ropes and the firm grip about his hips even as the werewolf wildly stabbed his cock between his thighs trying to find his entrance. As much as he knew and tried to prepare himself for the inevitable though, the hunter still could not stifle his scream of pain and shock when the head of the werewolf's cock suddenly lodged itself into the pucker of his arse.

Like a puppet whose strings were suddenly cut, Richter collapsed to stare over his shoulder at the werewolf kneeling behind him. He was too hurt and exhausted to put up any more resistance and the smirking monster knew this as it gathered itself to begin thrusting into its helpless prey. Richter closed his eyes and let go, forcing himself to once more employ all the tricks and techniques he had painfully learned during his yearlong imprisonment in Castlevania; mentally preparing himself to relax and let the rape happen to suffer as little damage to his body as he could manage to get away with.

Richter bit his lip to stifle his moan of pain as the werewolf firmly pressed its way in, while he tried his best to command his body to relax and open beneath the foul beast. It was also a thought that perhaps if he gave his cooperation and worked with his rapists to get them off as quickly as possible, they would let him wash their stinking urine off before they brought him back to their camp to assume his new occupation till his death. But that was also provided he didn't already bleed to death with this first gang bang.

Before he left just days earlier, Alucard had made promises to return to visit and check on him. Richter wondered if these werewolves would care sufficiently for his injuries to allow him to live long enough for the Dhampir to discover his disappearance and mount a rescue.

"Get off him!"

Richter felt the heat of the close passing fireball and the painful winch of an enormous cock torn out of him before his numbed mind recognised the angry voice that thundered across the yard. 'Alucard… Alucard? Hi—his friend had returned early?'

"Richter?! Richter?! Get up! Please! Richter!"

'Maria.' His mind supplied the name, but another 'presence' intruded on his senses; something which had fallen beside him and near his face and which he recognised more because he had held this weapon far longer than he had known these friends. 'Vampire Killer.'

@};~'~

Maria dared not to take her eyes off her opponents after she threw Richter's whip near him, however, she could not help but worry for her friend. Were they too late? Had the pack already been well in the midst of brutalising their friend before they appeared?

They had known something was deeply amiss when they arrived at Richter's front gate and did not feel the brush of the protective enchantment he used on his outer perimeter. His sudden scream, however, had them immediately dropping all their belongings to race towards the back garden where they found their friend surrounded by werewolves. Alucard had not hesitated to blast off the one standing right over Richter. And they had thrown themselves upon the startled pack, pushing them away from their friend before engaging in battle.

What little they could initially see of Richter with the pack of werewolves crowded around him told Maria that the hunter was in an awful state; nude, covered in bloody scratches and cuts as if he'd been dragged over glass, and the smell… She feared the monsters had already broken hi—

The familiar thunder crack of the Vampire Killer boomed beside Maria, startling her as it took out the werewolf which had been trying to flank her while she was fighting off its comrades. With two more cracks, her opponents were instantly ignited in holy fire and quickly killed in their tracks.

"Richter!" Maria turned towards her friend in delight only to gulp and take an involuntary step back at the vision which stood before her.

Still nude, but with a nimbus of holy light now surrounding him as he wielded his family heirloom, Richter Belmont could not have looked more magnificent. One could almost dismiss his bleeding wounds and the numerous cuts which covered his body as the hunter strode forward to stand back to back with the Dhampir and proceeded to demonstrate why his family had been feared by monsters for centuries; why none of the men in the village could ever be a match for or compared to Richter Belmont in battle. And—oh God above… Maria felt her face burn as she could not resist letting her eyes roam over Richter's very impressive musculature, which though marred by many mauling injuries and—tattoos, looked no less fine to her eager appreciative observation.

Alucard for his own part was not one to be ignored too as his sword flashed and danced in the air, inflicting damage or death with every strike. Beside them, Maria felt almost humbled despite her not so inconsiderable ability as she fought alongside them against the pack of werewolves who had earlier so cruelly abused one of their numbers.

Still, from the slight tremble in his stance, Maria could tell that Richter was clearly near the end of his strength. However, he rather clearly needed the last strike. From the corner of her eye, she saw Richter catch the crucifix at the end of the Vampire Killer in his left hand and hold it up high as he called out his spell to rain holy fire upon the werewolves. She saw Alucard at first winced when he felt the change in the air around them, but relax again when the shards of golden crosses easily avoided him to drive into the pitiful surviving werewolves who were too slow to flee from the trio of fighters.

@};~'~

With the last werewolf falling over in a burning heap, Alucard quickly turned towards his injured friend. "Richter!"

The hunter lowered the Vampire killer to face him as if he was in a daze. Alucard hissed in concern to notice his dilated eyes. And now that he was given the time to take a good look at the man, Alucard was horrified to see that he was almost completely covered in vicious scratches and bleeding cuts. "Richter?" Alucard tried to carefully reach for his friend's arm.

"Richter? Will you speak to us?" Maria spoke softly too as she approached from his other side.

Richter turned to look at her and the two friends could see his face twist in a sudden expression of embarrassment and shame as he dropped the Vampire Killer to cover his sex and the butterflies which were on his thigh from her view. The Dhampir couldn't imagine what turbulent emotions must be filling the man now; to have been attacked at his home, a place that he regarded as his sanctuary; to be placed in a position of helplessness again and raped once more; the sour stench of urine still clung to him, telling Alucard of the humiliation the werewolves enacted upon Richter before they started to rape him. And now, here he was still nude, with tattoos and scarred body completely exposed before two of his friends… They could see the moment when it was suddenly too much for the beleaguered man as he fell upon his knees. Alucard rushed forward in time to catch the unconscious man before he could fall on his face.

Alucard winced at the mingled stench of blood, urine and sweat which surrounded his friend's battered and bleeding body. Letting a hand feel for first his pulse than his face though assured the Dhampir that Richter had fallen unconscious more from shock and exhaustion than any other ailment. That being the case, they needed to get the man cleaned up and warm again and heal the cuts over his entire body before he lost too much blood.

"Maria?" Alucard looked to her before his eyes glanced quickly over their surroundings.

She grimaced as she looked around them and nodded to the Dhampir. Alucard was glad that she recognized Richter would not welcome her right now in tending his hurts and that it would be best if she let Alucard handle him for now. "I'll—"She stuck out her tongue in disgust as she looked at the carnage surrounding them. "I'll take care of clean up. You go ahead and help Richter."

Alucard did not wait to be given further permission to take Richter and leave. Thinking of the underground baths that the man maintained, the Dhampir couldn't feel gladder that Trevor's love of luxurious baths ran in the bloodline.

~tbc~


	8. Chapter 8

The injuries that Richter suffered were more serious than Alucard had anticipated. After bathing and cleaning him up as gently as he could, Alucard had laid Richter upon a towel padded bench and on his front, and then equipped his Faerie familiar to help him to locate and remove the glass splinters. However, even with the Faerie's deft and swift assistance, the extent of damage had been so severe Maria had long finished 'clean up' in the back garden and the chapel hours earlier and still they were not done locating and removing all the glass splinters from Richter's shoulders and back. She had even joined their efforts in gently going over Richter's lacerated skin with magnifying glass and tweezers. Alucard was thankful that the hunter had remained unconscious through most of this painful process.

It distressed them all when Richter slipped from unconsciousness into sleep as it also sank him into a world of nightmares. He'd occasionally awaken briefly and weakly struggle to try and get off his front and turn upon his back; and this proved troublesome enough that Maria had to sit before him and hold him firmly by his arms to prevent this success. Unfortunately, in his fevered delirium, Richter looked upon Maria and thought he saw her sister, and it broke her heart to hear him unconsciously whimpering and begging her for forgiveness and help to escape his tormentors.

Alucard found that he could not meet Maria's eyes during these brief bouts of anguished suffering. If she hadn't known or realised before, the Dhampir could well imagine that Maria was now able to guess how cruelly Richter had suffered during his imprisonment within Castlevania.

@};~'~

_He knew he was dreaming. There could be no other reason that Richter could discern for him to find himself back at the castle and standing in those castle rooms. He remembered how his Minotaur and werewolf aides would restrain and undressed him between them while they kissed and caressed his slowly exposed skin. Richter was well aware that the two monsters enjoyed taking their time so as to revel in the situation of being allowed to touch and taste him when he'd otherwise fight off or kill all others who dared to reach for him. _

The hunter always put up a token struggle during this nightly activity; a tiny reminder to them that he was unwilling and could in reality kill them in their tracks if he chose to. However, Richter also always gave in and allowed his aides to chain his arms behind his back before they'd take him upon his bed. And his aides did understand and respect this privilege he allowed them for the price of guarding his person at night.

Richter had offered this same position to two others once; a Blade Master and another werewolf who betrayed him by sharing him with several other monsters one night. After Shaft rescued and restored him to health again with the morning, the hunter had taken suitable revenge before burning all his abusers to ashes. His current aides would not dream of betraying his trust and losing their privilege or their lives no matter what bribes the other monsters in the castle offered.

After these few months of service from the two current aides, Richter well knew how they liked him and what they enjoyed. His (un)willing submission to their needs and desires always thrilled the two monsters. And the hunter knew that if he pleased them well enough, they might even stay to cuddle and keep him warm through the night. In this nightmare existence, Richter found himself craving for this guilty indulgence which would remind him that this was not a life which needed to be filled with just pain and hate—and humiliation.

Per their usual habit, the Minotaur would pick him up in its strong arms while the werewolf pulled his boots, pants and small clothes down and off his legs. Richter was never quite sure how he was supposed to interpret the way the huge beast gently laid him on the bed as it kissed and nibbled at his neck and chest. However, it never did this for long since as much as it enjoyed nibbling and suckling upon Richter's chest and nipples, the hunter was always very quickly flipped on his knees with his wrists pulled up behind him and his arse presented for the nightly plundering.

The werewolf would always offer the Minotaur a bottle of lubricant before he'd start, and Richter would show his thanks and appreciation by pushing his face towards the monster's exposed groin to begin licking and lavishing some attention upon its eager cock. Quite quickly after that, Richter would find himself with the Minotaur's huge lubricated cock up his arse and the werewolf's long cock reaching down his throat. And they'd fuck him good and hard, switching places several times before they'd be satisfied for the night. This time though, Richter thought there was something different in this memory/dream.

Knowing it was a dream, Richter tried to force himself out of the memory into the waking world. But unexpectedly, the dream seemed to be changing around him; he couldn't feel a bed under his knees but cold stone. His rapists were rougher. His back was hurting him worse than any tattooing session he could remember. And then he saw her—

Annette—sweet beautiful Annette holding his arms when he had expected to see manacles around his wrists… The pain in his back and the pounding of hard hips against his arse told Richter he was in the dungeons again. But Annette was there watching him—holding him down for his rapists. Why?!

"Annette—Annette let me go, please." Richter pleaded as the monster finished off within him and departed to let a new one take its place."Annette, please. I'm sorry. I'm not in control. I'm not being purposely unfaithful. Please don't punish me, Annette."

The beautiful apparition just shook her head sadly at him and continued to hold him down for the monsters to use and abuse. Richter stared at her in confusion, forgetting that he knew it was just a dream; forgetting this had never happened and that he never even told his former wife what was done to him during his captivity.

"Annette…" Shaft's gnarled hand gripped his face and a bitter brew was forced down his throat. But Richter didn't see the hated priest's face. It was still Annette looking down upon him with an expression of sad disappointment.

"Please… I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please let me go. Annette."

Richter cried harder as he felt the cruel needles of the tattoo artist driving into his back. And all the while his former wife kept a firm grip on his arms and kept him on his front. "Annette, please. I beg you. Let me go. Don't hold me in place for them. Please?

"Annette, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be unfaithful. Please… Please forgive me… Forgive me…"

@};~'~

Maria looked up at Alucard urgently, Richter was sobbing so heart wrenchingly she didn't know if she could force herself to keep holding him in place. "Alucard…"

The Faerie familiar's wings were practically buzzing as quickly as a bee's as it frantically tried to locate and remove the splinters and heal Richter's injuries. "Maria," Alucard's voice was strained as he hurriedly worked alongside his familiar, "Richter was grievously hurt, as much as we want to, we cannot do this any faster."

"Alucard…" Maria let her hair hide her face from the Dhampir as she looked upon her whimpering friend. "D—does it reflect badly on me that—that I wish the castle would rise again just so—just so I can hunt down those monsters and kill them again, and—in a more painful fashion."

"No, Maria." Alucard told her softly. "I too feel the same."

@};~'~

Several pain staking hours later, the friends were finally done cleaning and extracting the glass splinters from Richter's body and healing his horrible gashes. By then, the hunter had long fainted again from blood loss and pain.

Alucard carried his limp body back into the warm waters of the baths to wash him of blood and dirt once more. While Maria departed with the exhausted Faerie familiar to visit the kitchens to feed it some honey in thanks and also to prepare some supper for Alucard and herself, and maybe Richter if he'd wake up again.

In the last several hours, Alucard and Maria were torn between fully awakening their friend from his nightmares or letting him remain asleep and unaware of the pain he was in. They agonizingly decided to leave him asleep and to try and encourage or send his mind deeper into unconsciousness to spare him the pain. It was also their hope that when Richter was fully awake once again, that he'd have forgotten or be unaware of the nightmares he'd suffered while they treated his injuries. Still, they swore between them that they'd never breathe a word of what Richter had revealed to them in his fevered ramblings.

Maria couldn't help feeling sorry for her sister. She knew Annette had loved Richter. From observation she also knew Richter loved her very deeply as well. However, through the years she had seen how frequently Annette had clashed with Richter over his perceived duties of protecting their village. It became worse whenever Annette was pregnant and would stay at their father's manor rather than the home Richter built for them.

Richter was a generous man and he had tried to teach and impart his skills in battle upon any man or youth in the village willing to learn. However, despite Annette's objections, he'd still lead any investigations in dark activity and would stand at the head of every battle that the village was thrown into against the foul beasts which lived on the fringes of their home. It was slightly over a year before Richter's disappearance that Maria thought herself a secret witness between her pregnant sister and her husband; a fight which took place just before Richter was about to leave with a party of men to look for a missing daughter of one of the men.

_"They don't need you to hold their hand every time some darkling activity rears its head."_

"Annette…"

"I don't want to find myself raising the children alone!"

Richter gathered his overwrought wife in his arms. "Annette—dear Annette… I cannot turn my back upon friends or people who need my help." He told her gently as if she was a fragile child. "I—"

"So you'd turn your back upon your own wife and children instead?"

Richter stiffened as he looked upon her in aghast. "Annette—that—that's unfair. Haven't I always provided for you and been here with you—loved you—"

"Not when there's a monster mucking around in the backyar-"

A loud knocking interrupted her and Francois opened the door to the parlour to look in on the two adults. "Richter, the men are assembled and ready."

"I'll—"

"Richter!"

"Annette—" He kissed her on the forehead. "I am a Belmont, that's my job. It is my duty."

"Richter, please!"

"Annette…"

Maria remembered watching as her father helped Richter pry her sister's hands off his arms so that the hunter could leave. She understood her sister's fear, and that day also came to the realization that Annette feared Richter's vocation more than she loved him. Maria remembered how much her sister had changed on that fateful night over a year ago, when he disappeared. She had seemingly withdrawn from her children that day; completely leaving the care of the children to the nannies or their father as if she was rejecting the idea of raising their daughters in Richter's absence. And it made Maria recall her words to Richter that night.

_"I don't want to find myself raising the children alone!"_

Even after Richter's return, Annette had remained distant from her family. So when Richter left again, Maria knew it was just the last straw for her sister. And neither Maria nor their father could fault Annette for running away to France to forget Richter Belmont and seek another man who she'd be more comfortable with and whom she could fully accept.

Their father had been ashamed that Annette chose to leave both of Richter's daughters behind. However, Maria ultimately thought this was for the best. In the brief time she had possession of Vampire Killer, Maria had brought it in their presence and the girls reacted positively to it with the elder daughter stroking the whip as if it was a pet. It seemed very clear to Maria then that the Belmont blood flowed strong in Richter's girls. Now, she only hoped her friend would recover in body and spirit to appreciate this.

@};~'~

_He drifted in a kaleidoscope of memories; consciously shying away from the painful memories when he could, bracing himself when he couldn't avoid them then shrugging free of the nightmares as soon as possible. Despite the situation of the past year, Richter found himself surprised to find that he did have more than a few 'good' memories to escape into._

Whether it was Annette within the circle of his arms or himself against the larger bulk of the Minotaur or the Count, it was a guilty indulgence of Richter's to snuggle. In the later months of their marriage, after Annette had given him two daughters, she had refused to try for a son until Richter would swear to her that he'd stop venturing out to hunt monsters; going so far as to sleep in a separate room until he 'came to his senses' and showed more concern for their family's safety and unity.

Richter had missed having her in his bed and protectively cradled in his arms during those long months. He honestly broke first, intending to give her that vow despite his reluctance to hang up his whip and pass his 'duties' of protector to someone else. He had even given her a promise to take this vow just before he left for that last round of checks on some fringe areas of the village. Unfortunately, that had been the night Shaft sprung his trap. Richter often wondered whether Annette ever told anyone of this unfulfilled promise. He also wondered how long she must have stayed angry with him for giving her this promise and hope one time too late.

The first time he had awakened protectively cuddled against his Minotaur aide's chest, Richter would admit to being shocked to the bone. However, he had tried not to question this feeling of warmth and comfort then. After the months of abuse within the castle, Richter could not muster the strength or desire to reject this small luxury of security and safety in another's arms, even if meant he would be raped at the start of a new day once the Minotaur woke up.

It was no different when he shared the Count's bed. The vampire even went so far as to treat him like a cherished lover whenever he perceived Richter to be sufficiently obedient and subservient to his rule. And Richter would at times guiltily pretend he was asleep so that he could 'unconsciously' snuggle within the possessive encirclement of the vampire's arms.

And—as much as Richter hated to admit it, the times when he just gave in and accepted the pleasure Dracula was so generous with wasn't always filled with humiliation. The Count would be gentle with him then; lazily fucking him and easing him into an orgasm like it was a precious and rare gift.

Even those times when the Vampire would forcefully make him drink a little of his blood allowed Richter to set aside his guilt, because he also understood that he couldn't help his body's betrayal when he was fed an aphrodisiac. It—it—honestly hadn't been—unpleasant to have the vampire kissing and mouth fucking him with his tongue in time with his thrusting hips while holding his wrists imprisoned in his grip on either side of his face. And when the Count was in the mood for it, being awakened by gentle kisses and lazy morning sex wasn't exactly a hardship which Richter thought was a thing to just endure.

Richter understood the Count's tactic in giving him these 'good' feelings in the effort to train him to avoid the actions which would lead to punishment and humiliation. It was ultimately a battle of wills between them, but Richter still strove to surreptitiously aid Alucard, understanding and accepting that he would expose himself to pain and degradation whenever he was discovered; with the butterflies tattooed on his inner left thigh a count of the times he failed to mislead the vampire. A count that was far different to the roses on his back.

Shaft thought he could shame Richter with this count of the number of times he experienced gang rape upon the dark altar. However, the dark priest never seemed to consider that the abuse inflicted upon Richter in the dungeons was 'sufficient' to a point that the gang rape of slightly greater fervour upon the altar was just a 'footnote' to the hunter's 'normal' suffering. As a result, Richter could see the rose tattoos as a mark of Shaft's frustrations and his successes in resisting the controlling spells the dark priest tried to cast upon him. Dracula was truly far cleverer about the use of tattoos as punishment than his minion.

"Richter?"

The hunter remembered this encounter as he turned within his dream memory to face the Count lying beside him. Dracula had looked upon him with such tenderness it had taken his breath away with confusion. And the Vampire had looked upon his slightly parted lips as invitation to swoop in and kiss him with so much heart aching warmth Richter could almost believe the moments when the Count called him 'love'.

Ultimately, Richter did understand and know in his heart that this affection which the Count showed him was fuelled by lust, possessiveness and in actuality a hatred of his bloodline which made the Count desire to break and enslave him. But still… this memory of indulgent kisses and gentle sex… it was not such a horrible memory to dwell in, far away from the spectre of a wife who loved him, but had never forgiven nor accepted him for his life's vocation.

@};~'~

Alucard looked up towards Maria as she approached with a tray generously loaded with food and drink. "Alucard, won't he wake up yet?"

The Dhampir shook his head with worry as he propped Richter's limp body against him while gently drying his hair with a towel. "He has not stirred since he fell unconscious on the bench."

Maria threw a glance at the still blood stained bench where they had worked so feverishly to clear the glass splinters from their friend's body. She reached to brush a hand over Richter's forehead and was glad to feel it wasn't hot to the touch. However… "Will—will he wake up again?" She asked almost too softly to be heard.

"Perhaps—when he feels safe again," Alucard reached for her hand in reassurance. "When we can make him understand that the waking world no longer holds danger or pain for him…"

_Lost as he currently was in his dreams, however, Richter remained completely unaware of the friends who waited for him to awaken…_

~tbc~


	9. Chapter 9

Maria stood by with trembling fists as she and Alucard watched his Faerie familiar give Richter's unconscious form another once over. Healed and clean once more, they had brought Richter back to his rooms to prepare him for bed, hoping that he might wake when he recognized the warm comfort of his own bedroom. Unfortunately, that hope and expectation had yet to materialize.

After the hours she had spent with Alucard and his Faerie familiar treating Richter's injuries, Maria could hardly say she was still ignorant of the extent of torture the hunter suffered during his imprisonment at the castle. Alucard had tried to shield her from noticing the mutilation of his sex. Unfortunately, the many times Richter had awakened in delirious distress and tried to move off his front often dislodged the towel Alucard draped over his lower regions. Then, there were the host of rose tattoos covering his back, their patterns and designs now devastatingly ruined by vicious scarring left behind after the werewolves had dragged him over the broken remnants of the picture window in his chapel. Maria had never before felt more murderously inclined against the monsters which were Richter's usual opponents.

Though he was a formidable opponent to these monsters, Richter had never been cruel to his enemies. When he fought, he did so to kill and dispatch the foul creatures quickly and as painlessly as his tools allowed. What those monsters had done to him when he had been their prisoner… Maria wondered if Richter would be ashamed of her if she now dreamed of taking her time on the next occasion she fought a monster.

The soft chiming of the Faerie's voice as it spoke to Alucard roused Maria from her strained contemplation of revenge. "Alucard?" Her ears were not so sensitive as the Dhampir to hear and understand the tiny familiar's speech.

"She's found the curse." Alucard told her grimly as he let his hand brush gently over Richter's back.

"Can we—?"

"No…" He interrupted her before she could build up the hope. "My familiar—she just told me she'd noticed the holy water burns among the cuts earlier. But while she can heal cuts and burns, the curse is as deeply ingrained as the tattoos." Alucard told her sorrowfully. "We can no more remove the curse than we can remove the tattoos."

"Oh… But Alucard? Do you—?"

Alucard raised an eyebrow at her in disappointed aghast. "Maria! With Richter so badly abused and hurt, it is hardly a time for my libido to raise its attention."

She could not help the big smile which spread over her lips. "Oh, Alucard. Forgive me for ever doubting you."

The Dhampir just grumbled good naturedly at her while they gently manoeuvred Richter into a night shirt and a pair of sleep pants. Once the hunter's limp body was settled under the blankets though, Maria's hands upon Alucard's prevented the Dhampir from releasing the blankets.

"Alucard… Stay. Richter—we shouldn't let Richter wake alone."

"Maria! I'm shocked at you. I—"

"You feel no lust for Richter right now." She challenged him determinedly. "He is safe with you, isn't he? You don't feel the pull of the curse?" The last was more a statement than a question.

Alucard hesitated. He couldn't confess to not feeling the need and desire to be close to Richter, but sex was not part of it. "There—there is no desire to—abuse him, if that's what you're asking?"

Maria smiled brightly at him in triumph. "So Richter can trust you will not harm him."

"Of course I wouldn't—"

"Then rest beside him, Alucard. The bed is more than large enough and he will take comfort in not being alone." Maria interrupted him quickly. "I cannot do this for him, Alucard. I am his sister-in-law. He would think it inappropriate and uncomfortable. And—" She grimaced, "I look too much like Annette. It would not be—good for him to awaken beside me and accidentally confuse us."

"But—"

"I believe it would bring him peace, Alucard." Maria told him earnestly. "Richter has been alone too long, he would take comfort in having someone who truly cares for him nearby and within reach."

Alucard opened his mouth, but found he couldn't come up with a decent argument to counter Maria's claims. Nor could he really say why he'd want to object to taking this action. After the trials Richter had lived through, Alucard did feel a want and need in him to hold the man close and protect him.

Maria gave the Dhampir an encouraging smile before she turned to leave. She could say that she was very happy for Richter and Alucard. However, it would be a lie to claim she did not feel a touch wistful over their budding relationship.

She had loved Richter for what felt like her entire childhood, and was drawn to Alucard because of his loneliness and need. But she was glad to help the two find each other. And—it helped a little to lighten her guilt for not trying harder to convince Annette to give the relationship with Richter another chance—for not making her sister understand how grievously wounded Richter already was in spirit, never mind the mutilation to his body—for her uncharitable thoughts to deliberately come between Richter and Annette and try to steal his love for herself…

Maria thought she was especially wrong to have even contemplated that last thought at any time, no matter how much her sister frustrated her with her stubborn opposition to Richter's vocation. Alucard deserved Richter far more than she.

@};~'~

_There were times when Richter wondered if his aides had any feelings for him beyond lust and the desire to possess and play with Shaft's pet Belmont. There were moments when he thought they were unaccountably thoughtful; bringing him hot tea and snacks when he was feeling especially depressed about his new duties of castle administrator and directing the monsters to repair and service the many mechanisms about the castle. Their thoughtfulness had touched him when he would be reflecting on the irony of his responsibilities in maintaining the good working order of the many traps and secret rooms he had once cursed or navigated five years earlier. _

On the other hand, Richter had to admit that perhaps the two were aware he'd reciprocate their kindness in the evenings and allow them a bit more liberty to use him as they desired. There were nights though when they did not. And Richter really did feel grateful to them for the 'break'.

Sometimes though, when he'd meet the Minotaur's eyes as it carried him across the bedroom to lay him on the bed, Richter would be struck by the suspicion that his aides wanted him willing; that they wanted Richter to initiate touch between them and desire their sexual advances.

He could not. As much as he guiltily liked being hugged and affectionately held within the warm embrace of their larger bulk, the most Richter was willing to offer was to perhaps not avoid their casual touch in public and his near immediate submission at night. But he could not let himself consciously seek their affection.

It was significantly different with the Count because he demanded Richter's acquiescence. And if Richter gave it to him, the vampire would offer him a bit more kindness in his touch and freedom. Also to be brutally honest with himself, Richter did far prefer having the Count be kind to him rather than cruel.

Above all… When he was the vampire's favoured pet, Richter was protected as not even Shaft dared to touch him. He did not have this security with his aides. And this knowledge allowed Richter to guiltily feel that much safer when the vampire wrapped him in his arms at night.

@};~'~

Alucard had tried to be 'good'. He may have lain on the bed beside Richter, however, he had carefully maintained some distance between them so that they would not touch. Then, he had settled in to watch him sleep.

The Dhampir had thought he'd be able to stay awake to guard the hunter's rest, after all, he didn't need sleep the same way humans did. So Alucard was caught by surprise to stir from slumber and discover a strange though not unpleasant warmth snuggled tight within the encirclement of his arms.

He had opened his eyes to find himself looking upon a mop of soft brown hair which still carried the clean scent of the soap Alucard had used upon it in the baths. And it took another few befuddled seconds for the Dhampir to realize Richter had apparently moved sometime during the night to drape himself over his chest.

He couldn't help his sudden tension over the unexpected intimacy of their positions. Unfortunately, this stiffening quite obviously disturbed the sleeping hunter who shifted restlessly on top of Alucard's chest. The Dhampir immediately forced himself to relax again and thankfully as he did so, Richter also settled back down once more; even making adorable little snuffling sounds as he snuggled more firmly into Alucard's protective embrace.

Alucard could not help the sappy smile on his face as he gave into temptation to nuzzle against the nest of soft brown hair near his face, drawing a contented little sigh from the sleeping man. The Dhampir was glad his friend was sleeping so much easier now and apparently free from pain and nightmares.

He was thankful that Maria was right after all. And that Richter would take comfort in his proximity. Because Alucard felt that he truly never wanted to let go of the hunter who rested so trustingly in his embrace.

@};~'~

Richter was aware of the light of dawn upon his face first before the rest of him woke up. Or at least he thought he was supposed to be waking up. What the hunter was feeling didn't seem familiar; he couldn't explain the cool embrace he now lay in if it wasn't a dream. In feel and scent, Richter thought he recognized that he was held by the Count, even if it was a little—different.

Richter sighed in contentment as the cool arms holding him hugged him a little more firmly. He was glad that the Count was no less appreciative of his 'unconscious' snuggling as his former aides. He supposed that just as much as he needed this (false) comfort and security in their arms, they enjoyed this 'willingly' given affection from him too.

A hand moved to affectionately pet his hair, unconsciously drawing a soft moan of appreciation from his lips. Richter thought he remembered this morning encounter now, so he let himself follow the motions of that memory.

His hand reached to stroke seductively over the cool skin of the Count's stomach towards his groin. This memory felt a touch strange though—Richter didn't understand why there was a fabric barrier. Dracula usually stripped too before settling into bed with him. The vampire liked the feel of his warmer body lying naked against his bare flesh. Not that the loose sleep pants was much of a hindrance; Richter quite easily slipped his hand past the waist band to close it over a familiar length and lazily bring it to attention.

"Ri—Richter?" A strangled voice breathed in his ear even as a cool hand firmly drew his hand away from the lengthening cock.

Richter's eyes flew open as he immediately pushed himself up from the chest he was lying across to stare upon Alucard. This wasn't a dream. His mouth went instantly dry at the revelation of what he had just done.

He would have thrown himself off the bed if he could, but Alucard held his arms firmly and refused to let him flee. Richter was afraid to look at the Dhampir's face; he was scared to see his friend's expression of—of perhaps anger—disgust—pity…

"Richter…" To his surprise, Alucard pulled him back into his embrace; his arms around the hunter felt—warm—supportive—protective—loving… "Richter—I'm sorry for—what my—my father did to you; for what he must have made you feel you had to do when you were his captive.

"I—I'm sorry *I* was not—strong enough and—allowed you to be taken prisoner again. I'm sorry—for what you suffered as my father's prisoner…"

The words were so sorrowful… so full of guilt and understanding… Richter felt himself tearing and cursed the Count for exposing this weak snivelling side of him. He hadn't cried no matter how cruelly Shaft treated him; even through the months of abuse when he had lain in filth in the dungeons being gang raped daily by the demented priest's minions. They may have evoked a few involuntary tears of pain from him, but only the Count had ever made him feel so wretched and ashamed and doubtful of his own self worth; and made him cry because of the pain in his head and heart rather than physical pain.

The vampire was banished over a month ago, but the memory of abuse at his hand could still bring Richter to his knees and make him a crying wreck. And in the face of his friend's kindness, Richter was feeling overwhelmed, out of control and unable to stop sobbing.

@};~'~

Alucard sat up in the bed to hug Richter to him while the hunter cried his heart out. "Richter, he's been sent back into slumber." Alucard spoke softly to the hunter trying to soothe his spirits. "You're safe now. You don't have to do anything you have no wish to do." But his words did little to lessen the violence of the man's shivering devastation.

The Dhampir had never felt more ill disposed towards his own father than this moment. No matter what the monsters had done to Richter, Alucard could see that the trauma his father inflicted upon Richter was clearly ten times worse. The Dhampir was connecting the dots with what he had heard and been told. And he could now guess that where Richter had passively endured the abuse of the monsters, his father must have made the hunter take active participation in his own rape. Perhaps even making Richter believe he desired the attention paid to him.

Alucard just knew that the hunter's memories in the castle were a source of his nightmares. And what Richter tried to do to him was most probably a re-enactment of one of those nights with his father.

While the hunter's touch had not been unpleasant, Alucard had wanted to be sure Richter really was fully aware of his actions, and the man's expression when he looked upon the Dhampir clearly screamed that he had not. The stricken shame and horror which had filled Richter's face had felt like a punch in the gut. And Alucard thought he couldn't ever hate his father as much as he did then.

A seeming eternity passed before the sobs began to lessen and Alucard ruefully stripped his sleep shirt off to let Richter wipe his face and blow his nose into it. The Dhampir treaded carefully, he could feel the hunter's embarrassment and humiliation practically radiating from him for that loss of control, no matter how brief and needed it was. Alucard suspected Richter had never relieved his stress to cry that hard or for so long in release after his imprisonment and he hoped this little bout had done the hunter some good.

"I—suspect we may want to burn this now." Alucard suggested teasingly as he gently pried the sopping wet shirt from Richter's hands.

Richter's face pinked slightly though he did have a tiny hint of a smile on his lips. Alucard thought it a vast improvement over his ghastly pale expression of a short while ago. "Alucard—I"

The Dhampir reached over to place a finger over Richter's lips. "You don't have to explain, Richter. It's all—it's *going* to be all right. It's over, you're safe now.

"And as long as I have any say in it, my father will never lay his hands on you again."

Richter sucked in a deep shuddering breath at this promise. And with a light pull, Alucard was glad to see that the hunter willingly leaned back into his embrace.

They stayed like that for a long while with Richter lying upon Alucard's bared chest while the Dhampir stroked his fingers through the hunter's long chocolate brown locks. Too soon, however, Richter broke the silence to disrupt the peace again.

"I—I thought I remembered hearing—Is—is Maria here too?"

"Yes. She insisted—"

"Alucard!" Richter pushed himself up to look upon him with an expression of alarm. "How could—? What possessed Ambassador Renard to let her travel with you without a chaperone? The scandal alone—"

"What?" The Dhampir had to admit that he was completely lost. Just moments ago, it was Richter who was in distress, yet now it sounded as if Maria was also in some dire state.

"Alucard," Richter looked upon him patiently, "I am her brother-in-law, it is all right for her to be alone with me, but she is unmarried and the townsfolk have no doubt seen both of you together… For her to be travelling alone with you—If there is no marriage resulting from your companionship with her, her reputation will be destroyed; she will be looked upon as wanton."

"What?!" Alucard stared at the hunter in shock and affront.

"Alucard—" Richter stroked his cheek with a gentle hand. "I—thank you for your understanding—for what you're offering, but Maria's need is greater.

"She loves you, Alucard. And I know you love her too."

Alucard couldn't muster any words of objection because Richter spoke the truth. However, the Dhampir also realized just then that he felt almost as much for the hunter; enough that he truly felt torn between these two brave and beautiful humans. Still—it—

"She loves you, Alucard." Richter repeated to him kindly. "And I love her too much as well to accept your love if you wish to set her aside for me."

And that decided it for the Dhampir. He understood what Richter meant—what he was giving up for love of Maria.

"Richter—" Alucard's hands reached to hold the hunter's face, then he slowly leaned closer; resolved to let Richter go if he tried to struggle free. But the hunter didn't, and his lips met Alucard's in a first and last kiss of exploration, potential passion and reluctant farewell.

The gentle pressure of Richter's hand on his bare chest made Alucard finally draw away. The hunter's head immediately bowed, denying the Dhampir the chance of gazing into his crystal blue eyes a last time. "Go, Alucard. Please go while I still have the strength and conviction to resist my selfish heart. While—while your head can still be clear enough to withstand this foul curse Shaft cast upon me."

Alucard's eyes widened in shock at Richter's reminder, and it made him understand all the more the challenge and strength Richter was showing in—rejecting him when he could have easily accepted what he so clearly needed from someone who was 'safe' to him. His heart went out to the hunter even more for this sacrifice.

"Please, Adrian…"

Alucard quietly melted into his bat form to leave the hunter alone, but also to stay unobserved in the room a little longer just to make sure Richter wouldn't do anything foolish with his departure. The hunter did little more than to hug the pillow Alucard had lain upon while clutching the retrieved sodden sleep shirt the Dhampir had left behind.

After staying a few minutes longer to watch over the miserable figure he made, Alucard flew off towards the kitchens. Perhaps he'd find something to settle his stomach and which could also lessen the pain he felt slightly higher up in his chest.

~tbc~


End file.
